Of Prejudice and Pride
by ezcomeezgo
Summary: Five years is a long time for wounds to heal, for love to reconcile, and for family to reunite. Watch as secrets are revealed, relationships are tested, and jealousy sparks between family members; and also witness the love between parents-children, brother-sister and family members. Journey with Scorpius and Lily Malfoy back to Britain for the first time in five years...
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**_ This story is inspired by an Eureka moment, when I was reminiscing a story between HP/HG I read a while ago. I hope you would enjoy this, since I thought the Romeo-Juliet type of story would fit the love between SHM/LLP.

_**Disclaimer**_: HP belongs to J. , but any invented characters and the plotline is my own doing.

**_Chapter 1_**

_2 July 2021_

_Malfoy's Penthouse, New York_

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy looked at the red envelop in his hand with disbelief. He could never guess that this would come, even in his wildest dream. But hell, who would have thought that he, the prestigious Scion of the Malfoy family, would be married at 20 with his school sweetheart when she was just out of school, despite their families' protest. The only witnesses presented for his brief wedding with her were her two brothers, one was his best friend, and her best friends. It had been years since he last met all of them, since he had taken his new wife to the States to start a new life, where the name Malfoy still carried prestige and honor, as well as preventing them from being torn apart by their families.

Now, at age 25, Scorpius was the CEO of Aries Technology Inc., which was named after his first son, a multinational corporation that specialized in integrating Muggle technology into the Wizarding world, such as mobile phones, the computers, laptops and the phone network and Internet. Yes, Scorpius was a pureblood, and proud to be one, but it did not mean that he didn't appreciate a spectacular business idea when he saw one. "It was in your blood", his wife often said, with the Malfoy fortune waiting for him to come back, "_when he had realized his mistakes_", according to his grandfather. He believed that Scorpius had sullied their pretentious bloodline by marrying his so called half-blood wife, a person he had vowed to not live without. And of course, Scorpius had stormed out of the house, and fled to the US a few weeks after that.

His grandfather had passed away a year back according to the announcement on _The Prophet Onine_, and his and her families had doubled their effort in searching for them. Luckily, her brothers had kept their promise of giving them their time, and not said a word to both families despite all the begging and threatening they faced. He did not know the details, not that he cared, but his wife was a sentimental lady who missed her friends and family, and felt bad for the treatment her brothers were put through. Granted that they still talked through the laptop that his company produced and gifted her brothers and best friends with - her best friend was Head Manager of the British branch of Aries Inc., it was not the same with talking face to face, according to her.

He was also now a loving husband to his wife – the owner of Petal Boutique – the most well-known fashion brand in both Wizard and Muggle world, and a proud father of the best four-year-old son, Aries Scorpius Malfoy, and the coming princess of his family. He was thrilled when his wife announced her second pregnancy, since the Malfoy family was cursed with a single child, with him as the seventh generation suffering from it. It was a big relief for him when she was pregnant, meaning his future children would not suffer the loneliness he had when he was a kid. He had envied his best friend for a long time for his big family, but now with one of his own, he was contented. He sat in his beloved chair, facing the window of his office in the penthouse, lost in his own thought, a gentle smile on his face.

Lily Luna Potter-Malfoy walked into her husband's office and smiled softly. She loved her husband's smile, a smile that had captivated her heart ever since she was 11 and first entered Hogwarts. It was that smile that pushed her to choose Slytherin over Gryffindor, under the excuse of being together with her second brother, despite her closeness to her first brother. James had thrown a terrible tantrum at first, but she and Albus had managed to calm him down in the end. Throughout her seven years in Hogwarts, she had patiently waited for him to recognize her at herself and not as Al's baby sister, with the support of Melanie Zabini, her best friend and goddaughter of Draco and Astoria Malfoy, Scorpius's parents. It was not until Scorpius was threatened with a marriage contract with Melanie in his fifth year and she in her third that he confessed his love for her, and they had been together ever since. Her brothers were not happy at first, but then when Albus fell head over heels for Melanie and James in love with Iris Nott, Scorpius's cousin, that they finally accepted her relationship. And it was them that stood by her despite her family's protest to her career choice of a fashion designer, her relationship with Scorpius, and even her choice of NEWT subjects. Well, they did witness her wedding, and helped her run away with Scorp, so all was well.

Lily walked towards her husband, her envelop in hand. It was a wedding invitation from her brother James. He had finally been able to persuade Iris to settle down with him, and since he was the family's baby boy and Iris was "not a Malfoy", they would be getting married this August, on Lammas day. And Iris wanted Lily to be her second and last bridesmaid, after Melanie. She had been ranting on and on about her best friend missing out on her wedding for weeks through Wizchat until Lily and Scorpius finally relented, and Iris had graciously mailed the invitations to them via Muggle post, since no Wizard post could reach them after Scorpius and Lily received the Howler from his grandfather five years ago, as well as to avoid being tracked through owl post.

Hugging him for behind, she bent down to kiss his soft glowing golden hair. Inhaled deeply the brisk smell of freshly cut grass that was his, she asked:

"So what do you think? We are demanded back by your cousin."

He turned to face her, pulling her down and gave her a toe-curling kiss. Sitting her on his lap, he put a comforting hand on her belly and replied:

"I know. Iris had been demanding for our return for ages. Did you finish her dress and the bridesmaid dresses?" he whispered into her ear, enjoying the shiver that passed through her body.

"Ages ago darling, I emailed the designs to her a few weeks back with my measurement. Hopefully it would not change much from now till then. It's only a few more weeks. And Iris was thrilled with it. After all, it was the newest design for my wedding line for Petal that would only be coming out in September, and knowing how the British people treat my family like royalty, might as well use the wedding to announce the new design." she smirked like a true Slytherin into his hug.

He laughed at her Slytherin way of thinking, but upon seeing the pensive thought on her face, he pulled her close to his chest, buried his face into her hair. "... Are you happy that we are coming back? I know you miss them. I'm sorry..." he said, guilt leaking into his voice.

"Of course I do. But I did not regret going with you Scorp." she chastised him, turning around to bury her face into the crook of his neck, "and I am happy with what we have now. A beautiful penthouse in the building of my shop, your successful career, our beautiful boy and our princess. What is there to regret?"

They sat together, hugging close, basking in each other's warmth. He hummed their wedding song in his throat, and she laughed heartily. She then pushed him slightly, fixing his tie and reminded him:

"Hey, it's time for you to collect Aries from school. Don't be late, our boy has a throat and a scream that you don't want to cross."

He smirked and kissed her cheek sweetly, then disapparated from the room. Lily stood up, briefly glanced at her family photo that was proudly displayed in Scorpius's office, and grabbed a pen from his table to pen a reply to the future Iris Nott-Potter.

_10 July 2021_

_Potter Manor, Nottinghamshire_

"JAMES, ALBUS, COME DOWN HERE!" the magnified voice of Iris Nott travelled across the manor, waking up all the occupants. "I received their reply." she screamed out in hysteria.

James Sirius Potter jumped out of the warm cover of his bed when hearing his bride-to-be's words, and he rushed out of his room, racing down the stairs in his pj's and bed head. He met his brother Albus at the end of the stairs, and a glance at each other told them they shared the same thought. Their baby sister.

"James, you would never believe it, I actually got a written reply. Oh Merlin I was so happy, I woke up my entire house because of my scream. Daddy kicked me out of the house until he finally woke up, so I decided that I should tell you this. Oh you would not believe it..." Iris ranted upon seeing James at the door of their Floo room, her smile was as wide as it could get, which is a very rare scene for a Slytherin.

"Baby, we are here, calm down." James hugged his fiancée close, whispering soothing words to her. Albus, on the other hand, was flipping through his phone – a newest model good of Aries Inc, - to call Melanie, since he figured she would kill them if they opened Lily's first hand written letter without her present. They sat down onto the sofa in the room, not bothering to hide their excitement, while waiting for Albus's girlfriend and Lily's best friend when they were in school.

DING, the fire flared green, signaling the arrival of the awaiting person. Melanie walked gracefully out of the fireplace and jumped straight into the seat next to Albus, her face dropped the emotionless pureblooded mask and turned into one of bursting excitement. Iris was jumping up and down in her seat on James' lap, while James was holding his baby sister's reply to their wedding invitation. He looked around at their faces, and slowly but carefully ripped open the letter, then read it out loud.

"_Dear James, Iris, as well as Al and Mel since I guess you all would be there when this letter reaches you,_

_Thank you for the invitation. I was honored to receive the offer of being your bridesmaid Iris, and it is my pleasure to accept. Attached is an update of my measurement, sinc you know, a pregnant woman eats a lot, and I don't know if I have grown any fatter, with the princess' demand for food I have been eating like a pig_."

Iris squealed happily with the news of her bridesmaid, while Melanie beamed at Albus with Lily's pregnancy news. James cleared his throat and continued.

"_We are all well, in case you are wondering. Aries is four now, and he wants to see his godparents a lot, not just through Wizchat. He had been jumping around all the time while I was writing this to you, and his accidental magic was aiding him in evading Scorp, driving my man crazy. He turned Scorp's favourite suit green and the hair he was so proud of red, making him look like a living Noel tree. It was a hilarious scene, if I can I would show you the pensive memory when we meet._

_Scorp sends his congratulation, and a warning to James if he ever thinks about hurting Iris. Jamie, I know you are reading this, so watch out if you ever dare to make her cry. Both Scorp and I would be out for your blood, not to mention Al and Mel, right guys?"_

They all laughed at James' sweating face, and Iris leaned in to hug her fiancé. Albus, impatient with the mushy scene in front of him, snatched the letter from James' hand and continued.

"_So how are you guys? Is James still playing Seeker for the Arrows, and Iris being head Healer of the Spell Damage Ward of St. Mungo? Albus, are you still working as a curse breaker? It's good that you are now stationed in London. Mel was threatening Scorp on Wizchat the other day with the possibility of quit being our Branch manager, if Albus gets transferred to Egypt like Uncle Bill once upon a time. So Al, don't you dare accept assignments in those rural areas, it's not good for our business, both yours and mind, haha. Just kidding by the way_."

Melanie blushed bright red at the scrutiny of Iris, while James was roaring with laughter. Albus let out an "Awww" sound, and hugged his girlfriend at the waist, pulling her closer to him. Melanie snuggled closer, and Albus continued to read,

"_Aries is now going to a local school for Wizarding kids for age 4 to 11 in order to learn how to read and write, as well as basic Wizard history and pureblood etiquettes. Well, I am not so into them, but with our bloodlines and business deal, it is a necessity for him to know how to behave at formal dinners and the likes. Scorp hates to put our baby through such classes, since he knew how boring it could be, but Aries is a natural I tell you. He could execute complicated dining etiquette even better than me, and I am his mother. Shame on me_."

Albus and James scrunched up their faces, not liking the idea of Lily's pureblood behavior. Iris quacked them both on the head, while Melanie lookied at the letter and read out.

"_Mentioning bloodline, do you know that grandmother Lily was adopted into the Evans family? She was a pureblood witch! Imagine my shock when I first realized that after my blood test at the Gringotts branch in the US, and when I found our relatives here, I nearly fainted. It turned out that our grandmother came from a branch of the Rosier family that resided here in US, and was adopted by the squib sister of her mother when the died during their holiday in Europe. The family thought that she was aslso dead, but when I turned up to the gathering. Our great-great grandmother Rosier is still alive you know, and she would like to come to your wedding with me, if you would allow her. I know the Rosier branch of Britain was associated with Voldemort and had all but died out since the death of Evan Rosier in Azkabanz, but Rosier here is associated with Rose Industries, the mother company of the Firebolt. Jamie, can you keep this a secret, since Granny Rosier wanted to meet father first before breaking the news to him_."

Everyone sat stunned. Who would had thought Lily Evans Potter was a pureblood, when she was called "the best muggle-born witch of all time". James and Akwas were gapping like a fish out of water, while Melanie was staring at the letter disbelieving. Only Iris looked normal, since Scorpius and Lily had told her about this when they first met the family.

"Dear, did you know about this?" James broke out of his trance and asked his fiancée, upon seeing her lack of reaction.

"I did." Iris replied calmly. "Lily told me about this two years ago when they had their first gathering with the Rosiers, and made me promise to keep silent. I am not sorry James, I was being a good friend to both of them, since they don't know how you will react to this."

"But... But this is big! You would have thought..."Albus whispered, snapping out of his daze, "I did not think that Grandma Lily was a pureblood. This means that we are all pureblood, right?"

"Honey, you are." Melanie put her arms around Albus's neck and nuzzled the skin, and continued, "but I did not need you to be a pureblood to love you. It would not change anything between us honey."

Albus looked relieved. James also nodded at Iris, who was now holding Lily's letter.

"_Sorry for breaking the news in such a way, but I don't know how to tell you better, and you need to be prepared when Granny Rosier comes with us. Scorp said just be blunt, so there. Anyway, if my calculation is correct you all would be receiving this letter on the 10th of July, giving you 6... No 2 hours before my arrival with the family to London. We would be arriving via International Portkey to the Ministry under Rosier, to avoid alerting the whole British community about our return, and in turns the family. Well, I know Dad is now Minister, so I hope he would not be going to the Ministry until late morning in order to avoid meeting. Well guys, I expect you all to come pick us up. And Mel, we would need the key and a portkey to you-know-where, as Scorp forbids me to apparate since March. Also, Scorp said he would need the past record of transactions of the British branch to be delivered to him by today. That guy, never for one moment forgetting his work. Sorry Mel._

_Anyway, see you at seven am, haha._

_Cheers,_

_Lily Luna Malfoy_."

Everyone sat staring with disbelief at the letter, and after a moment, James was the first to recover and burst into laughter, follow closely by Iris. Albus scrunched his face while Melanie groaned with the prospect of digging up all the files for the boss himself. Well, at least she would get to see Lily's son and Lily herself for the first time since their wedding in 2016, Melanie thought, and sighed.

"Wow…" James, after his hysteria, was panting heavily, said, "That is so Lily, only give people minimal time to prepare." He smiled fondly at the thought of his baby sister.

"You are right James," Albus sighed, "so now how?"

Iris jumped up, hurriedly putting on her jacket while pulling Melanie's hand, dragging her up from the sofa. She replied:

"Well, Mel and I would be going back home to bathe and put on decent clothes, and Mel would find the key to Scorp's house in London while I make the portkey. You guys should bathe and change first, and Al, make sure that your parents and uncles and aunts would not be going to the Ministry today. It is Saturday after all, and everyone should not be waking up early and should not even be thinking about going to the Ministry. James, shower and brush your hair please, and you need to pick me up in an hour and a half at my place, then we would be going to Mel's place to pick her up. Al, we will see you at 7 sharp in the Ministry lobby to wait for the arrival of the Rosiers – Malfoy." Iris ordered them, and turning to the fireplace, she took a fist of Floo powder and threw it into the fire, while stepping in and shouted "Nott House." She was whisked away with a roar of green fire.

Melanie bent down to kiss Albus's cheek softly, and giving James a grin, she stepped into the fireplace and called out "Zabini Manor".

James Sirius Potter did not believe in his ears and eyes what had happened in the past hour. First, his fiancée ran into his home, shouting about a letter from his baby sister. Then the letter revealed their plan to come back to Britain for the first time in years, as well as the fact that their Grandma Lily Evans Potter was a pureblood, of the prestigious Rosier family, and at last the fact that she would be arriving in 2 hours. So typical Lily, she loved to put them in a predicament. He looked at Albus who looked back at him with those green eyes of their father and grandmother that Al and Lily both had inherited, and sighed heavily. Reaching out to pat his brother on the shoulder, he said.

"Well, seems like we need to stop the family from going to the Ministry. Should be easy though, since today the ladies would be crowding our house to plan my wedding, and the guys should be at the Burrow. But that would not be until noon, so we should not be meeting any problem."

"But James, don't you know that our family's unofficial motto is _Expect the unexpected_? I don't want to jinx it. Our family is scary in discovering secrets. I don't know how long it would be before they figure this out." Albus said miserably, "And I don't want dad and mum as well as the Malfoys onto us for their locations anymore. Remember five years ago? They and Uncle Bill threatened to assign me to the depth of Amazon forest together with the horrid git Smith you know!" he whined to his older brother, who looked at him in amusement.

"Don't worry, we would be fine. Now, why don't you go and take a bath, and let your awesome brother worry about the planning okay?" James nudged his brother up from the seat, and together, they walked out of the Floo room to their own bedroom, getting ready for a bath and a plan to keep the family occupy.

_10 July 2021_

_Malfoy's Penthouse, New York_

Lily Malfoy stood regally in front of the mirror, once more trying to decide which costume to where and which hairstyle to do. It was after all her first time of seeing her brothers and best friends since their wedding days on Christmas five years ago, and she was, in all honesty, nervous. She did not know how they would react upon seeing her family, but she just hoped that it would not be rejection, since she was afraid her heart would not be able to stand another heart break after her argument with her father all those years ago. Lily sighed, hugging her arms around her belly and caressing it softy, when Scorpius' voice suddenly appeared at the door of their bedroom.

"Honey, what are you doing?" He asked curiously.

"I'm trying to decide what to wear and how to do my hair. It was after all my first time seeing them in years, and I want a good impression, not to mention we would be with Granny Rosier and Aries." Lily sighed, turning to look at him.

Scorpius Malfoy was leaning on the door of the room, his arm holding their sleeping son, and looking at Lily with love in his eyes. She smiled sweetly at him, then held up two dresses, one in black and the other one turquoise and asked him:

"Which one do you prefer Scorp, black, or turquoise?" She scrunched her eyebrows, her eyes dashing between the dresses, lingering a bit longer on the turquoise one.

"Turquoise babe. You just got that made for your formal wear line right? And the black one you wore it at the Summer Solstice Gala dinner already, so might as well try the new costume right?" Scorpius replied, his eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Scorp, you are a genius." Lily beamed at him, "And what about my hair? Should I let it flow, or tie it up?" She put the dresses down, and waved her wand to get her hair into style, while looking at him expectantly.

"Well, I prefer your hard to be half tied up and half flowing. You know I love your wavy hair honey." Scorpius stepped closer to her, and lightly kissed the top of her head, inhaling the lily smell that was trademark of his wife. She smiled and hugged him back, then turned to the bathroom while calling out:

"You can put Ari down you know. Go get change, Granny Rosier will be here in a minute. Thank god you already change Ari, he could be a mess sometimes." She laughed heartily, then disappeared behind the door of their bathroom. Scorpius smiled, and gently put his son, who was snuggling closer to his chest, down on his bed, and pulled out a white shirt and black designer pants from the wardrobe. He carefully buttoned up the shirt, and attached his favourite cufflins – with the emblem of a lily on it – to his shirt. Then, he rumbled around the wardrobe for a suit and a pair of shoes, while waving his hand to do the packing for him and his wife.

Minutes later, Lily stepped out from the bathroom, her curvaceous form was hugged perfectly by the dress that left Scorpius speechless. Pulling her closer to him, he nuzzled the skin on her neck, and reached into his pocket to pull out his present for her for today – a custom-made Tiffany necklace. He put the necklace onto the pearly skin around her neck, and let the lily pendant fell perfectly at the top of her cleavage. She sighed contentedly into his arms, inhaling his cologne, and smiled at the necklace. She said teasingly,

"Really Scorp, another one? If I didn't know better I would have said you work just to buy me custom-made lily pendants from Tiffany."

He grinned sheepishly, and looked at their reflection in the mirror. They looked perfect together, the way her head reached just under his chin, how her waist was at the perfect position for his hand to rest on, and how she always fitted perfectly into his arms. He hugged her once more, and let her continue the packing, while he turned to their son on the bed. He picked up the sleeping child, and called back to her while he was walking out of the room.

"I'm going to collect the luggage for Ari. If you need help just call for Tozzy okay? Best if you let her pack for us, since you know we both suck at packing."

He then ran out of the room, laughing at her stream of offended words she was throwing at him. Whistling, he walked to his son's room.

Life was good for Scorpius and Lily Potter-Malfoy, and dream was sweet for Aries Malfoy.\


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: HP belongs to JKRowling, I am merely borrowing her characters. The OCs and the plot belongs to me, and I hope you all enjoy it.

**Chapter 2**

_10 July 2021_

_Potter Manor, Nottinghamshire_

James Sirius Potter was enjoying a moment of rare peace on this hectic day in the dining room, dressed classily his new robe-slash-suit that was made by Petal Boutique, a brand he knew Lily owned. He nervously smothered his hair, and sat down at the very end of the elongated table since today the regular family dinner once a month would be hosted by his parents. He glanced backwards, and contented that there was nobody in the room, snapped his finger softly to call for their head elf, Kreacher the Second. He asked for his usual breakfast – coffee and some bacon – and was at the brink of relaxation when he heard voices coming from the corridor. _Shit_, James silently cursed, _I hope it was not Dad and Mum, Merlin knows they would be drilling me for information on why I was dressed like this at this damn hour on a Saturday_.

Unlucky for James, it was indeed Harry and Ginny Potter. He sighed, and tried his best to pretend nothing was wrong, and focused on his French toast, when Harry finally laid eyes on his son and asked in surprise: "James, what are you doing here in this hour of a SATURDAY? And is that… a SUIT, son?"

"Oh, my Jamie looks so grown up in a suit!" Ginny exclaimed, moved to his side and began her forever effort to arrange his messy hair that he inherited from his father. James sighed, and answered slowly, munching his bread while still managed to speak without fail.

"Yes, Al and I have something on together. We should be leaving soon, we need to pick up Iris and Melanie. I hope you don't mind." He glanced at his parents nervously, and silently praying for them to drop the topic instead of asking more.

Well, sad to say, today was not his day. His Dad raised his eyebrow, and looking at James quizzically, he pressed on, "Where are you guys going? You do know today is the weekly family dinner right? Are you going to miss it when it will be in your own home?"

James tried his best to shrink smaller under the raised eyebrow of his Dad, and the gaze from his Mom. Swallowing the toast whole and furiously finishing his cup of coffee, he made a mad dash to the Floo room, all the while calling backwards, "Just something between us couples. We would be back soon," and he muttered in a lower voice, "I hope."

James raised his head, only to meet Albus's green eyes in front of the Floo room. He sighed, again. Merlin, he must have aged a hundred years with all the things that happened this morning. The things he did for Lily!

"Yes Al, I know talking like that only spiked the interest of our family. But what can I say, that I am picking up _that person_?" James exclaimed.

"SHHHH you idiot, don't shout that out here." Albus whispered furiously, hands flew up to clamp James' mouth. James, recognized his mistake, looked apologetic. Albus exhaled loudly, and pulling his brother by the sleeve, they walked into the Floo room together, missing the pairs of green eyes and brown eyes looking behind them from the dining room direction, and the intriguing facial expression on their faces.

Harry and Ginny peered out from the dining room, only to see their two sons, dressed in brand new suits, talking quite loudly and then walked straight to the Floo room. He remembered the tug of the ward in the morning, Iris and Melanie had dropped by at 5am in the morning. _Merlin_, he thought amusedly, _both of my sons are whipped_.

"What is so funny, love?" Ginny enquired upon seeing the amusement dancing in Harry's green eyes.

"I was thinking how James and Albus got whipped into shape by Iris and Melanie. You know they dropped by to the Manor at 5am in the morning." Harry replied, laughing quietly.

"Yeah, I can see from the way the boys treat them. If Lily was still around…" Ginny spoke wistfully, her brown eyes suddenly filled with sadness.

Harry looked at his wife, he could feel her sadness and regret bubbled inside. His own feelings were just at his throat, waiting to be spilled out. He had regretted the harsh words he exchanged with Lily the moment she left the Manor with just her wand, and had been spending most of his time trying to find her back. He pulled his wife into his chest, hugging her close and sighed.

"If only we had accepted her relationship, she would still be around…"

"Harry, it was not your fault. We were both hot-headed, and with Ron there putting words in our mouths, it was inevitable." Ginny scolded him softly, but her eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"It was not his fault. It was mine. If only I could let go of the prejudice I held for Malfoy… no, for Draco, I would not chase her away. My baby, my princess, my only daughter." Harry Potter, the-Man-who-Conquered whispered softly into his wife's ear, and a lone tear fell from his vibrant green eyes.

...

_10 July 2021_

_Nott House, Bristol_

Albus and James stumbled out of the fireplace in Nott House, only to face the laughing faces of their girlfriend and fiancée, who were sitting comfortably on the sofa in the living room. Grumbling, James stood up, casting a charm to get the soot off him and Albus, and walked briefly to Iris, pulling her up and kiss her on the cheek as greeting.

"Hello love, why so moody this fine morning?" Iris giggled at James' scowling face, while fixing his collar, "You look extremely delicious by the way. Nice choice of clothes."

James smiled at her. Now that he was here, he could not hide the excitement of meeting his baby sister. On the other side of the sofa, Albus was hugging Melanie close, a cheery smile on his lips, making his face shine with happiness.

"Okay okay, stop with the mushy stuff guys, we need to get going." Melanie extracted herself from Albus' grip, but allowed him to rest his hands on her waist, while Iris leaned into James chest and sighed contently, "It's now 6:45, so we have 15 minutes to make our way to the Portkey port, casting _Muffliato_ and other charms to make the guests unrecognizable to the guards and, of course, the press. I already arranged with the person at the Portkey port to put the names of the arrival down as Rosier, 4 people, since I think there will be Lily, Scorp, Madam Rosier and Aries; and Rosier is a lower name than Malfoy in Britain. I have here the key of their Manor in London, and here is the Portkey. James, you would be apparating with Iris while I would apparate with Albus." She said, holding up the red ribbon and an illustrious key.

"Are you telling me that they have a freaking MANOR in London and I know nothing about it?" Albus demanded jokingly at his girlfriend.

"Yes Albie" Melanie rolled her eyes at the blush that appeared on Albus's cheek upon hearing his nickname, while James and Iris laughed, "I helped Scorp and Lily buy it, since he knew that one day Lily would want to return to Britain. It was the old Rosier Manor, I think, and was in really bad conditions, so the price was cheap, but the cost of reconstruction was huge. But I think I can now understand why he desperately wanted the Manor in the first place." Melanie said, while the rest was nodding.

"Anyway, can we go now, I want to see Lily." Iris chirped from her position in James' chest, and smile brightly at her fiancé, she stepped into the Floo with a fist of Floo powder, and shouted out "Ministry of Magic, lobby."

The rest looked at each other in amusement, and Melanie was muttering about "… keeping Slytherin's face in public", then briefly followed her lead.

...

_10 July 2021_

_Ministry of Magic, London_

It was not every day that the Ministry received people at 6:55 in the morning, but who said today would be similar to everyday. It was actually a rare sight for the guards of the Ministry, upon seeing Quidditch star James Potter II, first son of Harry Potter – the current and most famous Minister of Magic, with his fiancée Iris Nott; and Albus Potter, the second son, with his long-term girlfriend Melanie Zabini, dressed formally in clothes that most probably cost them three months' worth of salary, all strolling determinedly across the Ministry lobby from the Floo area to the Portkey port. And it was not everyday's sight that people got to witness the smiling face of Iris Nott – the famed Ice Queen, and the soft smile of Melanie Zabini – the Ice Princess of Slytherin – in public, especially after the disappearance of Lily Potter – the so-called Fire Princess of Slytherin with Scorpius Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince. They knew it was just school titles, however it was a sight to behold, since when the Ice Queen and the Ice Princess were smiling, people tended to run away, and that was what the guards were tempted to do at this moment. They were famous across all Europe for their beauty and prestige, as well as their close friendship with the Potter Princess and now relationships with the two Potter sons, one would be the Heir of the Potter line and the other one the Heir of the Black line. Of course, Harry Potter's additional titles of Gryffindor's Heir would go with the Potter line, while the Slytherin's Heir title would go with the Black line, after all it was public knowledge. But not a lot of people knew that his third and last title, Ravenclaw's Heir – would have fallen to Lily if she had stayed, since Ravenclaw was a Matrimony family. Of course, nobody knew about this, not even his sons, just his wife and best friends. And of course, Harry had no clue about the Rosier title.

Anyway, the four were now standing next to the port that said "INCOMING PORTKEY FROM USA", with a clock counting down the time until arrival. Iris and Melanie were waving their wands in intricate patterns, casting _Muffliato_ and other charms to prevent eavesdropping, as well as Notice-me-not charm on the bubble they had placed around the port that reduced the curious stares of people. When they finished, each snuggled deeply in to their boyfriend/fiancé's arms, and stood their silently waiting.

The clock was counting down. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… and suddenly, a flash of light appeared on the bareground of the port, followed immediately by a vortex. From that vortex, Scorpius Hyperion gracefully walked out, holding his sleeping son in his arms, the child's head on his shoulder, and followed closely by Lily Luna Potter-Malfoy, all the time helping a Lady that they all guessed was Lady Rosier. Lily looked up, and upon seeing her brothers and friends, she shouted joyfully:

"JAMES! ALBUS! I MISS YOU GUYS SO MUCH!"

Turning towards the Lady expectantly and received back a soft nod, she ran towards her brothers despite the worrying shout from Scorpius, and threw herself into the newly vacated spot in James chest, wrapping her arms around his torso tightly. James hugged his sister back fiercely, and Albus, after letting go of his girlfriend who gave him a smile and stood with Iris, joined into the family hug. It was a heart-warming sight, and Magic flared golden around them, signifying the strong sibling bond between them.

Scorpius turned and offered a hand to the Lady who took it regally, and walked slowly towards his godsister and cousin, all the while keeping a smirk on his face. Stopping in front of them, he bent down, giving Iris and Melanie a one-arm hug, and said:

"Merry meet, Iris, Mel. It had been a long time."

Iris and Melanie laughed at him, and with a joyous shout, they flung themselves into Scorpius's open arm, and hugged the living day out of him. Upon their release, Scorpius was grumbling about "_Women and their deadly hugs_" and "_you better not wake my son up_" while bth Iris and Mel stood smirking. Suddenly, remembering the Lady that had politely stood aside and waited for this family reunion to finish, he signaled to Lily, who just let go of her two brothers and was making her way to his side, and turned back to her. He smiled and nodded at James and Albus who nodded back, and began to speak according to pureblood etiquette.

"Merry meet, Iris, Melanie, James and Albus. It is great to see you all again after five long years. This," he extended his free hand towards the Lady who gracefully took it, and her other hand was holding on to Lily's and continued, "is Lady Celsie Rosier, your Great-great grandmother."

Lady Celsie Rosier was already more than 100 years old, but her face had only a few creases at the end of her eyes. Her eyes were the vibrant green color that was often associated with the late Lily Evans Potter or Elizabeth Rosier Potter, and her face had an aristocrat look that demanded respect from people. High cheekbone, tall nose, she was what every girl wanted to be when they grew old. And actually, she was what people imagined Elizabeth Potter to look like if she had survived Halloween 1981. She smiled softly at them, and spoke, her voice sounded as clear as the bells, "Merry meet, James Sirius and Albus Severus. I have heard so much about you from Lily Luna."

James extended his hand, gently held her hand and dropped a soft kiss on her knuckles, and Albus did the same. After that, they both smiled cheerfully, and hugged their great-great grandmother, who gave a soft laugh and hugged back her great-great grandchildren, whom she just met for the first time. Lily, upon seeing this, jumped ahead and hugged the living day out of her two best friends, who squealed and hugged her back. Scorpius stood at a side, smiling at the family scene in front of him, a tender love in his eyes.

After all the hugging ceased, Lily returned to Scorpius' side, and Lady Rosier stood on his other side. Scorpius smirked, and spoke again:

"One more person that I know you guys are dying to meet. This is Aries Scorpius Malfoy, our son, and future Heir of the Malfoy and Britain Rosier line." With that, he turned his son gently, showing his face to the foursome standing in front of him and Lily with a proud smile.

Iris and Melanie squealed at the angelic sight of the sleeping boy. James beamed at his godson, while Albus was smiling at the boy with love. The child was definitely a combination between the Potter gene and the Malfoy gene, with a bit of Weasley and Rosier in him. His hair was soft and had a golden glow like Scorpius', but his nose and cheekbone was Lily's, as well as the magical allure that seemed to attract people to him. The hands with long, slender fingers that were currently grabbing the front of his father's suit were definitely Scorpius', while his pearly skin was a dominant Malfoy gene. However, his pouty lips were an inheritance from the Rosier family that had passed down both to Lily and then Aries, making people grow more in love at the sight of the pout. But what everyone was wondering about was his eyes.

"Hey Scorp, what is the color of my godson's eyes?" Iris asked Scorpius curiously, while all the other people nodded fervently.

Lily laughed heartily, and with a teasing smile, she replied, "You guys will have to find that out for yourself. We will not tell. Just know that our son has a very special talent."

Despite all the pouting – from Iris and Melanie – and the whining – from James and Albus, Lily, Scorpius and Lady Rosier kept a firm smirk in place. Then, Scorpius spoke up.

"Well guys, as much as I would love to have this mushy scene with you, could we now proceed to the Manor?" he drawled, looking at Melanie expectantly.

Melanie blushed. She actually forgot about it, and the fact that they needed to move soon, it was not save to stand here all day, not to mention people would be coming in soon. Quickly cast a _Tempus_ with a flick of her wand, she took note of the time, _7:30_, and drew out the ribbon from her sack. After everyone had a firm hold on the ribbon, now with Lily holding Aries and Scorpius keeping one hand firmly on his wife's waist, and James holding onto Lady Rosier with his free hand, Melanie tapped the ribbon with her wand, and in a vortex of light, they all disappeared from the Ministry to their destination.

_...  
_

_10 July 2021_

_Rosier Manor "La Maison de Fleur", London_

Upon arrival into the lobby of Rosier Manor, Lily stumbled forward and was caught by Scorpius' hand what was holding her waist. Sighing contently, she leaned into his chest while he dropped a kiss onto her hair, and fixing the weight of her son, she looked around, and her eyes widened in surprise form the house around her.

"Scorp, where is this?" She enquired expectantly, looking at him with her round green eyes.

"This, honey, is Rosier Manor of the Rosier line in Britain, _La Maison de Fleur_, since all Rosier ladies were named after a flower." Scorpius replied, smiling at her.

Lily beamed at him, and reached up, kissing him on the lips lightly. She then turned to Lady Rosier, and chirped excitedly:

"Granny, can you believe it, I could finally see Rosier Manor. I mean I have heard so much about this Manor from you, and I can't believe Scorpius bought it. And can you see all the flower pictures on the wall, oh it's fantastic. And I bet there will be a flower garden somewhere around…"

"Oi, Lily, calm down. You are being hysterical" James shouted from his place, while Albus was openly laughing. Lady Rosier smiled at her little Lily Luna, and taking her hand, the lady turned around and began walking into the Manor, leading Lily to the sitting room. She called back:

"James Sirius and Albus Severus, you should go with us. After all, we should catch up, right? And Scorpius, do whatever you need to do here. I know you have been waiting for this chance to catch up with your own family. You girls will not mind if I borrow your boyfriend and fiancé right?" Lady Rosier smirked, and began walking again, keeping a hand on Lily always when they walked up the stairs. James and Albus, after a soft hug and kisses from Melanie and Iris respectively, ran after the two ladies of the house, all the time keeping an eye on Lily, since they knew that she was pregnant. Scorpius stood in the hall looking at the back of his wife until they turned the corner, then turned back to his cousin and godsister, he extended his arms, and smirked, "Shall we?"

Putting their hands on Scorpius' arms, the two Slytherin ladies laughed joyously, and with Melanie leading the way, they led him into the study on the first floor, just a short distance away from the sitting room, in case Scorpius needed to see his wife.

...

Upon entering the new the study, Melanie and Iris flopped down onto the sofa in front of the desk, while Scorpius walked towards the chair behind it and sat down. He then looked at his cousin and godsister, and asked:

"So, how are you guys? I know Iris is getting married to James – finally, and you Melanie has been dating my best friend Albus for at least as long as I am married. Anything new?" He flashed his trademark Malfoy smirk at them.

Iris laughed. She spoke up joyfully, "Oh, a lot of things had changed around here Scorp. For example, the pureblood movement was annihilated, but Muggleborns are required to learn all the etiquette upon entering our society at 11. Old families like ours and the Potters would probably keep track of the bloodline for the sake of their offsprings, but apart from that, we are all equal. Isn't it great? I mean in fact James is a bloody pureblood, and although father and mother did not know, they should not be complaining anymore when this comes out into the open."

"Yes, I completely agree. Anyway, Scorp, godfather and godmother missed you a lot." Melanie spoke up from where she was sitting, fixing a gaze on Scorpius, whose eyes reflected a slight flick in emotions, "They had been trying their best to find you all these time, especially after Lucius passed away. Your grandmother was now living permanently in Black Manor with Teddy Lupin, Andromeda Tonks née Black and Victoire Lupin née Weasley and their daughter, I think the name was Aimee Lilian. You should inform them of your coming back, Scorp, they were heart-broken when you left and cut all contacts with us."

"I know Mel, I will, soon." Scorpius sighed. He also missed his parents, but he could not risk Lily's safety when Lucius was still around. And also there would be her family, since she ran away with him she might be punished according to pureblood laws of the family, especially with a family as old as the Potters or the Blacks, it would be more severe.

"But you are afraid, for Lily, right?" Iris spoke up, seeing the worry in his eyes. Upon receiving his nod, she continued, "But you don't need to worry, Harry and Ginny realized their mistakes as soon as Lily disappeared with you. They now want their daughter back at all cost, and they even struck up a friendship with your parents in the effort of fining you guys." She winked at his shocked face.

"What?... my parents… and Lily's… friends? Are you kidding me? The last time they saw us together, my grandfather was tempted to murder Lily, and Lily's father looked ready to kill me." Scorpius mused, but shock still evident on his face.

"No Scorp, we are not," Melanie laughed, "Ironically, it turned out that all it needed was the baby daughter and the son of opposing families to run away, then the families would become best friends. Well, since then your father and Harry Potter have been getting along quite famously, and I would say even better than him and Ron Weasley, while you mother and Ginny were friends ever since Hogwarts."

"Wow, guys, I know things have changed, but I really did not expect this." Scorpius laughed, massaging his temples at the same time, "It's just… it would take me some time to get used to this information. So weird…" he contemplated softly, looking at them with emotional eyes.

"But Scorp, one thing you need to take note is that there is one, and only one person in the Weasley family that often speaks badly about you guys. James found out about this, and he told me. He did not want the family to break apart, and he hoped that you guys could find a way to deal with it before it gets out to public." Melanie continued hesitantly, "It was Rose, Rose Weasley. She used to into trouble with the adults for sneering at us Slytherins and speaking bad things about you and Lily, to the point that even her parents and brother threatened to disown her. But after your disappearance, she put on a face to be nice to the Potters, but still showing an attitude to us in private. If it was not for that time James walked into her sneering and insulting Lily in front of us, we would not expect this. Scorp, now that you and Lily had returned, I am really afraid that she might do something. If I am not wrong, she is after the title of Lady Ravenclaw, since there are rumors that it would be passed to a daughter of Harry Potter, or the closest relative, sine Lily disappeared. She might harm Lily, you have to be careful." Melanie exclaimed loudly, to the point of standing up.

Scorpius was now looking murderous at the thought of Rose Weasley. He did not like the girl ever since Hogwarts, and yet he was forced to work with her all the time in 7th year since they were Head Boy and Head Girl. The girl was the rudest and the worst know-it-all that he had ever encountered, and he remembered perfectly how rude she was to Lily. She made Lily cried numerous times with her hurtful and insulting words, and James had been furious. Now the girl was still insulting his Lily, his beautiful wife. He spoke up, lowly and dangerously,

"Insulting me, I don't care. Insulting my family, I got pissed. But insulting Lily, now I am tempted to murder that girl. That bitch knows nothing about my Lily, how could she? They are family." He smashed his fist on the table with fury, causing all the trinkets to shake violently, all the while panting heavily.

Iris walked to his side and put a comforting hand onto his shoulder. She spoke calmly, "I know Scorp, but you need to calm down. Lily is five months pregnant, so you should avoid causing her any unnecessary stress. Also, Albus and James would not let anything happens to Lily, she is still their baby sister. And with you helping them, she would be okay."

Scorpius closed his eyes briefly to calm himself down. When he opened his eyes again, he met the almond hazel eyes of Melanie, and asked her professionally.

"Never mind, I will think about it later. Now Mel, what is the state of our company?"

They launched into a discussion of work, while Iris laughed at them and walked out of the house to the sitting room, joining Lily and the guys with the Lady Rosier.

...

Lily Malfoy gently put her son down to the soft sofa, and seated herself next to him, with his head on her lap, and he was curling into her abdomen. Lady Rosier sat herself into the Head chair, while James and Albus seated themselves to the sofa on both sides of Lily's sofa. Upon seeing the seating arrangement, Lady Rosier laughed softly. She called out:

"Tozzy, can we have some tea?"

A house elf appeared immediately with a tea tray and four cups. Putting it down on the table, she poured out four cups of hot Darjeeling tea, and bow slightly to Lily, who nodded back and gave her a smile, she spoke politely:

"Tozzy had put Mistress's and Master's luggage into the Master bedroom. Lady's luggage was put into the Guest bedroom on the second floor, while the Young Master's luggage was in the nursery in the Manor. Does Mistress want Tozzy to take the Young Master up to the nursery now?"

"No, thank you Tozzy. We will be fine here. If we need you we will call." Lily smiled at the elf which beamed back and disappeared. James and Albus looked at their sister like she had grown a second head, and then James blurted out:

"Bloody hell Lily, you are speaking like… like a real LADY. Such a surprise haha…" he laughed out, and Albus and Lily joined in, but kept his voice down not to wake Aries.

"I know right" Lily replied cheekily, "Granny Rosier trained me, with Scorp's help after our bloodline was confirmed. It was hell at first, but after some time it got easier." She smiled sweetly at them. "So, how are you James, and you Al?"

"We are fine, all is fine, except for the fact that our baby sister is somewhere on this Earth." Albus replied her with a smile, while James put on a whining face and continued, "and my baby sister did not allow me to visit my godson who is sleeping there on the sofa like an angel all these years."

Lady Rosier laughed at the sibling's antics, and spoke up, "Well, Lily had been living near the Rosier in US for the past few years, and she is my pride and joy. After all, you all are the youngest great-great grandchildren that I have, and I have missed out so much on your life." She smiled sadly at James and Albus, who gave her a smile of their own. "So, tell me, what do you do for a living?"

James and Albus launched into a long tale of their family and their life, telling Lady Rosier all about themselves. Lily just sat back and enjoyed the view of her brothers, since after all it had been five years from the last time she laid eyes on her brothers, with both of them together. Absent-mindedly stroking the hair of her son, Lily closed her eyes briefly, and somehow drifted off to sleep, her tiredness finally caught up with the enjoyment of the day.

...

Lily rubbed her eyes tiredly, and snuggled closer to the warm pillow next to her head. _Wait, hold on, pillow?_ She thought and opened her eyes, only to look straight into the loving silver eyes of her husband, who was smiling at her. She smiled sleepily back, and just then she seemed to remember something, she struggled to sit up on the sofa, all the while leaning into his chest, feeling his arm wrapped around her waist, and asked, "Where is Aries?"

"He should be outside in the field behind the Manor with his uncle Al and godfather Jamie. Apparently our son does not like the sound "s", so he changes the name of everyone to something without the S. Remember he called Granny Rosier Granny Ro, and then Al and Jamie, and Iris becomes Ivy and Melanie is Mel." He chuckled, hugging her closer, a hand on her stomach.

She snuggled close, basking into the warmth he was providing. It was always comfortable having him hold her when she was asleep, and she most certainly enjoyed it. She smiled at him warmly,

"I love you, Scorpius Malfoy."

"And I you, Lily Malfoy." He smiled back, resting his chin on her red hair. He loved the smell of her hair, it was always like lilies just after the rain, with the freshness that was so typical Lily's. It was intoxicating, and he did not know how long it had been since the first time he smelled lilies on her, but he would never forget the impression it made on him. Maybe it was that day when he passed her at the train station before his First year at Hogwarts, or maybe it was when he bumped into her in the library in her first year, but all he cared about now was his Lily, in his arm, and his son running around the Manor, laughing cheerily with Uncle Al and Uncle Jamie.

Footstep was heard from the corridor, and before he let her go, the door burst open, and his cheery four-year-old son ran into the room – followed closely by James and Albus, hand holding a white lily and waving, "Daddy daddy, see what I get for mommy." The boy flashed his toothy grin at him, and struggled to climb onto the sofa to sit next to his mother.

Lily laughed, her face glowing with happiness. She reached out and pulled her son up with her, kissing his soft cheek, "Now Ari, what do you say to Uncle Al and Uncle Jamie who play with you today?"

"Thank you Uncle Al, thank you Uncle Jamie. Ari is very happy that Ari get the flower for mommy." The boy chirped, and grinning once more, he gave the white lily to his mother, who smiled warmly back, and turned to his father, who rubbed his hair affectionately.

James and Albus smiled at their sister's happiness, and they felt that they had made a good choice supporting her. It was hard, at first, to accept her relationship, but Scorpius made her happy, so they relented. After all, Lily was always smart, and she knew what was best for her. She was right, as always. Scorpius was definitely good for Lily, and they would be supporting them, if Scorpius could keep that glowing smile on Lily's face always.

Curiously, James asked,"Hey Scorp, can I ask you something? How come you both are owners of Aries Inc. and Petal Boutiques, but nobody had ever managed to print a picture of your family? I thought you guys joined a lot of events within the last five years, what is with the rapid expansion of both your companies. But it's strange that you are able to keep your face off the front page, and even your name. Merlin knows I need a tip. The Prophet drives us Potter crazy everyday. They had a field day when they knew about Lily's disappearance."

Scorpius and Lily laughed, and little Aries, when hearing his parents laughed, also grinned his adorable baby toothy grin. Scorpius, struggling to stop his chuckling, replied, "Well, the first three years our companies were quite small and unpopular in the US, so we did not go to a lot of events. It was only the past 2 years, when we finally expanded internationally, that we started having our own paparazzi and the press was after us. But then you have to recognize that in the US, the controller of the press is the Rosier Empire, so Lily just made a request with Granny Rosier to keep our faces and our names off the papers, and all is well. The Prophet's articles about Aries Inc. and Petal Boutiques here are only copies from the ones that were published in the US, since they did not have our permission to interview or even mention us."

"And also, it's not that we are not well-known in the US. Hell, every US kid knows my face, and every US girl idolizes Lily for her fashion sense and trends." He added, after a moment of thought, "it's just that Britain was quite isolated from the rest of the world, especially US, hence you never heard about us. Take you for example, James. But we know all about your Quidditch journey, and your relationship with Iris, and even the trash on your life that the Prophet made up." He grinned at James, who was flushing beet red, while Albus was roaring with laughter.

"Anyway, where is Iris? And Melanie?" Lily asked, confusion showing on her face.

"Iris flooed back to her place to check on the wedding dresses, since your Boutique promised to deliver them today to Nott House. And Melanie was sent away by your beloved husband on business." Albus volunteered the information, all the time half scowling half winking at Scorpius, who smiled sheepishly.

"Scorp, did you send Mel away?" Lily chastised him, "I haven't been able to catch up with her yet" She whined, and the men in the room chuckled. "Never mind, I would be spending time with Granny and my cute son instead." She pouted, and picking a protesting Aries up, she attempted to stand up from Scorpius' lap, only to be pulled down again into his chest, while her son snuggled against her. Scorpius kissed her temple slightly, and gestured Albus and James to come in, while adjusting Lily to make her more comfortable. Aries was dozing off in his mother's lap, not that Lily's complaining.

"Anyway, we just want to ask you a few things, Lily-bean." James opened, becoming serious. "How are you guys planning to break the news of your return to our parents, and your parents Scorp?"

"Yeah Lily, you should think about that. The wedding is in a few weeks, and you have dress to try, and rehearsals to attend and stuff." Albus added, his eyes trained on Lily, who was not laying on Scorpius' chest, eyes lost in thought.

Scorpius kept silent. He knew this was his wife's decision, and he would respect whatever she chose to do. Lightly stroke her red hair that he loved so much, he waited for her to make up her mind. James and Albus also kept their eyes on their sister, waiting for her decision.

"Well… I think I should break the news to them as soon as possible. I mean, according to the email Iris sent us before we arrived here, the first try-on would be Sunday 11 July, which is tomorrow right?" Lily asked hesitantly.

"Yes, that's right. And Scorpy here will be my groomsman, right buddy?" James beamed at Scorpius, who grinned back and nodded slightly, "After all, Albus is paired with Melanie, and I don't think Scorp would appreciate me picking anyone else to walk in with you Lily-bean."

"Damn right you are James." Scorpius chuckled.

"But James, when do you think is the most appropriate time to break the news, with both our parents and the Malfoys at the same time?" Lily asked, trying to put up a brave front, but failing miserably, her eyes betraying her scare to Albus, James and Scorpius.

Reaching out to hold his sister's hand, James started rubbing circle on her palm to calm her, a gesture he used to do every time she had a nightmare and climbed into his bed. "Listen, Lily-bean, it's your choice to do this whenever you want. We would just call a family meeting then. But if you feel up to it, the traditional family dinner is tonight, and the Malfoys have been frequent guests to our dinner ever since Lucius passed away." He spoke soothingly to her.

"I… I don't think I would be ready… do you think I can have more time?" Lily whispered, turning her scared green eyes and looked deep into Scorpius's silver ones, looking for reassurance. He gave her his softest and sweetest look, and with a smile he hugged her close and said, "I think it would be fine, take your time baby."

"Yeah, take your time Lily-bean," Albus said calmly, smiling at her, "We know it must be hard for you to face our parents and the Malfoys. After all, they did not talk to you very nice the last time you all spoke… Ouch!" He exclaimed when James hit the back of his head, but immediately fell silent when he turned, and saw the frightened look in Lily's eyes, and Scorpius' hardened eyes.

"Erm… I don't mean it like that, sorry Lily…" he stammered, looking apologetically, "Anyway, Scorp, thanks for the phone and the laptop. They are fantastic!" He exclaimed, waving his phone in the air and jumping up and down on the sofa like a four-year-old child.

Scorpius shrugged, "Well, it's the only way to keep in touch with us. Your four phones and laptops were the only ones programmed to be able to connect with our personal phones and laptops, so it's the only way to contact you guys. Don't worry about it. We got this covered."

"Lily, I was thinking…" James started hesitantly, "erm, would you mind if we borrow your son? Iris would like to spend more time with her godson, and so do I, to be honest." He rubbed his hair nervously, face beet red.

"Haha, James, I am not going to eat you, don't be so nervous." Lily laughed, her face brightened after seeing James in his current state, "but okay, how long do you want to keep him?" She asked curiously.

"Erm, maybe until tomorrow, before Iris has to do the fitting at 11am?" He replied.

"Sure, after all you are his godfather, and you are an uncle." Scorpius replied easily, shrugging his shoulder, "And this should give me some time with Lily alone." He winked at Lily, who was now flushing bright red.

James and Albus laughed, and in one swift moment, James picked up the sleeping Aries from Lily's lap. Walking out of the sitting room, he called back, "Well, that's it for today then. I should floo back to Iris' place. We have a family dinner to catch."

"Bye Lils," Albus chirped happily, following James outside, closing the door behind him.

Scorpius smirked at his two brothers-in-law's retreating back, and then bent down, capturing Lily's lips in one swift kiss. He poured all his bottled emotions inside, and kissed her deeply, teeth grazing her bottom lips. Lily opened her mouth, welcoming the warm feeling she always experienced when Scorpius kissed her. Their tongues battled, and Lily happily submitted to her husband. She closed her eyes, basking in Scorpius' warmth and his distinctive smell of freshly cut grass, and sighed happily. Yes, life was perfect, when Scorpius was around her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: I sincerely apologize for the delay, but my exam is coming up, so i would probably take longer to update all of my stories, especially since I am pondering on ideas for some others as well. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling, I am merely inventing another plotline for the second generation of the Potter verse. Cheer :D

**Chapter 3**

_10 July 2021_

_Nott House, Bristol_

James stepped out of the Floo, arms still holding his godson protectively. He smiled at the sight of Iris sipping a cup of tea in the living room, and walked briefly to her. She looked up, and gave him a heart-warming smile back.

He sat down onto the sofa next to her, and shifted Aries onto his lap. Putting his free hand over her shoulder, he asked,

"So, what do you think? How's catching up with Scorp?"

"Well, all is well I have to say. They are happy, and I did not regret helping them run away that day." Iris replied, snuggled closer to James.

"Yeah, I did not regret giving my sister up for marriage with Scorpius. He made her happy, yes he did, and still does." James sighed. His baby sister was happy, and that was all that mattered.

"What did they say to you about meeting the family?" Iris asked curiously, "After all, the first fitting is tomorrow. I mean I don't expect Lily to be ready to see her family yet, but still…" she trailed out when she saw James' face.

"I know…" he sighed, stroking Aries' hair, "I still could not believe that my dad could blow up at Lily like that. It's so… so unlike him. She was his baby princess." He exclaimed frustratingly, throwing his hand up in the air.

"I know, I know baby. I did not believe it either, but what happened happened." She sighed, wrapping her hands around his torso, laying her head on his chest.

**_* Flashback * _**

_18 June 2016_

_Potter Manor's dining room, Nottinghamshire_

_Lily squeezed James' hand, her palm laced with sweat. He squeezed back, rubbing his thumb on her backhand to calm her down. He smiled at her and Lily gave him a forced smile, but the worry was still evident in her eyes. Leaning closer, he whispered, "It's gonna be okay, Lils. Daddy and Mommy love you, they are not going to object what makes you happy."_

_"But don't you remember the time we fought thanks to my career choice?" Lily whispered back, her eyes started to be filled with tears._

_"Erm… they are just worried about you, Lily-bean. You are the baby of the family, we all are worried about you." He kissed he forehead gently, and let go of her hand. Smiling at her once more, he stood up, putting two fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly, causing all the Weasley-Potter members present in the dining room for the family dinner, which was everyone, to look at him. Clearing his throat, he spoke,_

_"Hi guys, erm… Lily has an announcement to make." He turned to Lily, and offered her a hand to help her stand up. She reached for his hand, grabbing it tightly, and nervously stood up next to him._

_"Erm… mommy, daddy, everyone… I… I just want to say that… that…" she stammered on her words. Her face started to blush bright red, as bright as her auburn hair._

_"Lily-bean, what is it?" Their father asked gently, eyes focusing on Lily, who averted her eyes from her father's. She began again,_

_"Erm… the thing is… Ikindofhaveaboyfriendandheas kedmetomarryhimnowthatIhaveg raduated." She said in one breath, her blush intensified._

_"What?" Harry asked, not believing his ears. He focused his gaze on Lily, and demanded, "What are you talking about? What boyfriend? James, what is this about?" He turned to James, who was now hugging Lily's waist._

_"Erm… I have a boyfriend daddy," Lily whispered, trying to squeeze further into her brother's arms, "and he asked me to marry him now that I have graduated. And I said yes." She ended, and buried her face into James' chest, who stroked her hair soothingly._

_"WHAT?" Harry bellowed furiously, "BOYFRIEND? MARRIAGE? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT LILY? YOU JUST FINISHED HOGWARTS LIKE A FEW DAYS AGO!" He turned furiously to his first son, who nodded slightly confirming the information, then turned to his second son, who was now holding Lily's hand, and demanded, "Albus, tell me this is a joke. Who is that bloody boy that seduced my princess? I need to go and teach him a lesson!" His words were agreed by many males of the Potter-Weasley family and Teddy Lupin, who were all very protective of Lily, who was the youngest in the family._

_"Dad, Lily and that guy have been going out for four years, and they love each other. James and I approved of him," Albus stated calmly, although he was sweating beneath, "I hope that you guys can approve of him as well. He is good for Lily, he makes her really happy." Albus said with conviction._

_"NO MEANS NO. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY MARRIAGE AT THIS AGE? DO YOU KNOW THAT LILY IS ONLY EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD?" Harry Potter screamed, ignoring his wife who was now holding his hand, "LILY, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING IN SCHOOL? FIRST YOUR BLOODY CAREER CHOICE, FASHION DESIGNER, WHAT A JOKE. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE A LIVING OUT OF THAT! THEN IT'S YOUR NEWT CLASSES, WHAT KIND OF POTTER WOULD HAVE GONE AND BLOODY DROPPED DADA? I KNOW FROM THE BEGINNING THAT ALLOWING YOU TO BE IN SLYTHERIN WOULD BE BAD FOR YOU!" He bellowed, ignoring the tears that began to fall on Lily's face that was facing him now._

_"But… Daddy, I am happy with the things that I take, and choose for my life. And I love him, I would not give up on him, whatever you say." Lily said between sobs, and James put his arm around her shoulder for support. The rest of the family looked at Lily like she had grown two heads to speak like that to a furious Harry Potter, and then Ginny spoke up,_

_"Lily, tell me," She spoke furiously at her daughter, "Are you sleeping with him? Are you pregnant? I never imagine you to be a person that will sleep around, Lily. Where is the decorum that we taught you? And you go and destroy the reputation of the family. Lily, tell me, who is he?" She looked at her daughter accusingly._

_"I… It was Scorpius Malfoy…" Lily whispered, tears stained her beautiful face, "But I really love him mommy, and we did not sleep together…"_

_"WHAT? SCORPIUS MALFOY TOUCHED MY NIECE?" Ron Weasley jumped up, pointing an accusing finger at Lily, "And you allowed him? No Weasley would ever associate with a Malfoy. Lily-bean, Malfoy must be using you… to… to destroy the family. Look at this, you are arguing with your parents for the first time in years, YEARS, Lily, all for a Malfoy. Is it worth it?" _

_"Uncle Ron, Scorp is not like that!" Lily screamed at him, tears now flowing down without restraint. She shook out of James' arm, and stroll straight to her uncle, "Scorp loves me, and I love him. We do not want to break up our family or anything. It's love, we could not help it." She said desperately, "I can't live without him, please, Uncle Ron, Daddy," she pleaded, turning to look at her father, who refused to look back at her._

_Lily staggered at the furious look her father and mother were giving her, and at the fiery eyes of Uncle Ron. She looked around the room, into each and everyone's eyes. Betrayal, disbelief, pain, hurt, and fury were evident in those eyes. She turned her back to them, could no longer bear the look of her family. Looking up at James and Albus, the only two people that supported her, she hugged James, then Albus, then spoke softly,_

_"Daddy, Mommy, Uncles and Aunts, I love you guys, I really do. But don't you think I should be able to choose for myself? I choose my own classes, my own career path, and now I choose my own family. I promise you that I will be happy, so don't worry for me anymore okay?" She choked on her words at the end, and without looking at anyone, she ran out of the room and disapparated, carrying only her wand, and the necklace of a lily that was given to her by her father on her sixteenth birthday, which used to belong to Grandma Lily._

_ "LILY! LILY, HOLD ON!" James screamed after her, and Albus made a mad dash out of the room to follow Lily. James, furious at their family's attitude, turned back and screamed at the people in the room,_

_"THERE! ARE YOU HAPPY? YOU CHASED AWAY MY SISTER, MY BABY SISTER! WHY IS IT SO HARD TO ACCEPT WHAT SHE WANTS TO DO? SHE IS EIGHTEEN, EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD DAD. SHE HAS A BRAIN, AND SHE KNOWS WHAT IS BEST. LILY IS THE SMARTEST GIRL I KNOW, AND DAD, IF YOU CANNOT SUPPORT HER DECISION," He spoke menacingly to everyone, making eye contact to every person, "Then I will. If you disown her, I will disown myself and welcome her into my family. If you refuse to give her up at the altar, then I will. I support Lily and Scorpius, they are happy, they deserve it. And don't come looking for me or Al when you realize what a deed you have done tonight."_

_With that, he walked out of the room, leaving a stunned family behind, stoning on their seats, a furious Harry Potter consoling his sobbing wife, and a red-face Ron Weasley being berated by his wife._

**_* End flasback *_**

James sighed. His parents and family had cooled down after a week, but Lily had disappeared. He had given Lily's hand to Scorpius for marriage on Summer Solstice, officiated by their only sympathetic family members – Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey, and they had fled to the US after that. Of course, this had caused a huge scandal in the Wizarding community of Britain, and the Prophet had a field day. Apparently the Malfoys also reacted to Scorpius' news the same way his family did, that was the main reason why they chose to leave for the US to pursue their dreams, and build a family. Of course, James, Albus, and by extension Iris and Melanie, were drilled mercilessly by the families, and the Aurors, for the location of Lily and Scorpius, but they refused to betray their family and friends. They had taken an Unbreakable Vow with Scorpius and Lily, that they would only release information about them when given the permission. And of course, both families were furious at them, but they could not do anything to James and Albus.

It took quite a while for both families to sit down and work together, and it only began after Lucius Malfoy passed away. Both parents, and families, changed after that incident. Harry became more calm and collected, and people rarely saw Harry raised his voice at anyone. Ginny became much quieter, and she spent majority of her time with Astoria Malfoy, and they became fast friends, together with his aunt Hermione and Lily's godmother Luna. Uncle Ron was feeling guilty, as with the rest of the Weasley, and they doubled the effort of the Auror department, which basically contained majority of the Weasley boys and Draco Malfoy, in searching for their missing children, but to no avail. They had never really given up, but hope was waning, and James knew this.

James shrugged out of his thought when Iris kissed his cheek, and waving her wand to cast a _Tempus_, 4:55, she said,

"We will be late for the dinner if we don't leave now. So, how are we going to deal with Aries, James?"

"I think we should bring him with us," James shrugged his shoulders, sitting up straighter on the sofa, "I mean we can always introduce him as Aries Rosier, since technically he carries that surname also. And with his ability to change eye color, nobody is going to put 2 and 2 together when seeing him. He is a perfect mix of them, so they would not recognize it at first glance." He grinned at her, "And he is our godson, so let's keep it as that."

Iris laughed at her fiancé's antics, and pulling him up, gently fixing his outer robe for the suit, she hugged his free arm, and together they walked to the Floo, Aries still sleeping. _The boy really enjoys his sleep_, thought James fondly, rubbing his godson's hair.

. . .

_10 July 2021_

_Potter Manor's dining room, Nottinghamshire_

Albus Severus Potter stepped into the dining room, only to freeze when he felt the eyes of every member of the Potterr-Weasley brood fell on him, or more specifically on his suit. Shit, he cursed and thought, I know coming back at this hour is going to backfire on me. Muttering up the tiny bit of Gryffindor courage he had in him, he strolled determinedly to the table, taking a seat at the empty far end, and waving his wand, he pulled out 3 more chairs.

"Al, is that… is that the LATEST DESIGN OF THE PETAL FORMAL SUIT LINE I see you wearing?" Louis Weasley exclaimed loudly, eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah" Albus sighed, silently cursing his cousin. He forgot that Louis was studying fashion in France, and the guy was mad with Petal designs. Louis knew everything about Petal, the material, seasons, designs, and even their trademark Lily petal embroidery on the inside of a costume. His biggest dream was to work for Petal Boutique after he graduated this year.

"But Al, this costs a fortune. It was just announced yesterday!" Louis shouted, pointing his finger at Albus, "I want to touch it, but they said that it's out of stock. How can you have it? It costs 3000 galleons just for the outer suit, that's a month worth of salary!"

Everyone sat stunned, eyes locking on the suit on Albus. Albus, on the other hand, was trying his best in order to make himself smaller in the chair. He laughed weakly,

"Well, I got a promotional prototype… this is before the publishing of the suit itself… haha…" he trailed off, avoiding Louis' eyes on him, and focused on the door instead, silently praying for his brother and future sister-in-law to arrive faster.

"But how?" Louis whined, "I have been signing up continuously for prototype testing for a few years, but I never got a chance to try. And if I am not wrong, your name was not announced as a tester. How do you do it?"

"Yeah Al, that is a very… extravagant suit you have there." Draco Malfoy spoke up, eyes still on Albus who was now squirming uncomfortably in his chair, "Even I myself only go for the lower range of price, and maximum I spent on a suit is usually 1000 galleons. How do you get this suit? And a prototype even?"

"Erm, you see…" Albus stammered, face started to turn red. But lucky him, everyone's eyes was averted form him when a sound of childish laughter sounded through the corridor, accompanied by footsteps.

"It… It should be James. You ask him." Albus hurriedly said, and focused on his empty plate once more.

The door creaked open, and Iris gracefully walked into the room, followed closely by James. But what caused the people to be taken aback was the fact that both James and Iris were dressed impeccably in Petal's latest designs, and James was carrying a young blond boy, who was happily playing with his hair and laughing joyously.

"Mother, father, Uncle Draco, Aunt Tory, a very good evening to you." Iris greeted everyone with a nod, and took a seat to Albus' right.

James settled comfortably into the chair next to Iris, and he looked up from playing with the boy to nod in greeting with everyone, then immediately turned his attention back to the blond who was now pulling his nose. Everyone's jaw was drop. James, THE James Potter, who was called the most irresponsible in the family, was PLAYING and TAKING CARE of a child? Who would be mental enough to give their son into his hands?

"James, who is that?" Ginny Potter asked from her seat next to Harry and Astoria.

"My name is Ari. Ari is four." The boy, turning back to face the whole family, chirped happily, holding up four fingers.

A swooning sound was heard throughout the table when all the females swooned on the angelic feature of the boy, when all the males sweat dropped at this action of their wives and daughters. Ginny, eyes sparkling with laughter at the cuteness of the child, asked gently, "And who are you parents Ari? Can I call you Ari? You can call me Gin."

"His parents are our friends, and he is our godson," Iris interrupted before Aries could give up any important information, while James once more occupied the attention of the boy, "His name is Aries, and he is four, like he said. He just came to Britain with his family, so we offered to take him in for tonight to let his parents rest, since this kid could be such a nuisance sometimes." Iris smiled fondly at the child, and all the people in the room shivered at the sight. Iris never smiled like that, and when she smiled, it would either be that she was really really REALLY happy, or she would be really angry.

"Yeah, dad, mom, could he stay here tonight with me and Iris?" James asked from his chair, bouncing the laughing child on his lap, "I mean, he is our godson, and I bet everyone would want to hold this lucky handsome brat, right?" He flashed his trademark Potter grin at everyone, and Aries shrieked, "Ari is not a brat, daddy said Ari is a prince." He said proudly, his nose pointed in the air

Harry laughed at the antics of his son, and the child on his lap. He did not know since when his son had a godson, but if this was his godson, meaning he was family. He replied gently, "Sure, James, he is after all family if he is your godson. So, he could stay. But make sure to inform his parents okay?"

And then, dinner proceeded smoothly, with all the females and mothers in the room fawning over Aries, who was laughing joyfully. The child was surprisingly well-behaved, and if you asked anyone, he behaved like an aristocrat pureblood. All the young ladies sighed wistfully, hoping the future child would be as handsome and angelic as the child in front of them. Louis kept whining about Albus' suit, and James' suit and Iris' dress, to the point that the angel Aries got annoyed, and his hair turned blue, to his horror and the family's amusement. Only one person stayed silent, eyes trained on the child, lost in thought.

Astoria Malfoy could not believe her eyes. The boy on James' lap looked just like her Scorpius when he was a kid, with some minimal different. Of course the rest of the people would not recognize the resemblance, but she was his mother, she had been holding him continuously every night since Scorpius refused to fall asleep in the cot, and even in Draco's arm. She had spent hours looking at her son's face, mesmerized by the baby milky skin, the golden locks on his head, and the vibrant silver eyes that just seemed to hold her world in it. She missed her baby, and now, in front of her, was a near perfect replica of him.

Standing up, pushing her napkins onto the table, Astoria murmured about the toilet and powdering to her husband, and she walked hurriedly to Iris' side.

"Iris, would you accompany me to the toilet?" She enquired softly, eyes not leaving the child.

Iris Nott recognized the gleam in Astoria's eyes, and it frightened her a bit. They had underestimated the Lady Malfoy. All these years she had been observing them, and Iris was sure that Lady Malfoy knew about them helping Scorpius and Lily, but she had kept silent, and just stood at a side. But no one could understand the love a mother had for her son, and there they were, caught off guard.

"Erm… yes Aunt Tori." She sighed, and gave James a look before walking out of the dining room behind Astoria.

. . .

Iris pushed the door into the bathroom of the Potter family, and admired the decoration inside. The Potter Manor was one of the oldest home in Britain, hence explained the exquisite decoration that could be dated back all the way to 10th century. She signed, and masked her face off any emotions, she looked straight at Astoria, and asked,

"Aunt Tori, what is it that you want to speak with me about?" She feigned ignorance, although she knew that it would be useless with Astoria.

"Iris, can you answer me honestly?" Astoria looked at Iris in the eyes, silently pleading, "Is that child… Scorpius' son? Where is Scorpius, Iris?"

"I… I…" Iris was taken aback, since she did not expect Astoria to straight away asked her about Aries of Scorpius, "I…"

"Iris, you and I both know that Aries looks remarkably like Scorpius. No, he is a perfect mix between Scorpius and Lily. So for Merlin's sake, be honest with me, will you?" Astoria pleaded softly, "He is my grandchild, isn't he?"

"I… yes, Aunt Tori," Iris sighed defeatedly, "He is Scorpius and Lily' first born, their Heir to the Empire that Scorp has built."

"I… Thank you Iris," Astoria hugged her niece, crying tears of relief. Five years, five long years since she last heard of her son, and now she had a grandson, a beautiful baby boy, and news of her beloved son and his wife. Astoria always prided herself as the perfect pureblood wife, but at this moment, her emotions overwhelmed her, and she threw away all the pureblood decorum that she had upheld since young, and cried like a child into her niece's embrace.

Iris softly patted her aunt's back, and stayed silent. She knew that the news must have a strong impact on Aunt Tori for her to cry like this in public, and allowed her aunt time to recompose herself. After sometime, Astoria pulled out a handkerchief from her purse and wiped away the stray tears, and giving Iris a dazzling smile, she spoke,

"I know that Scorpius and Lily must have their own reason not to turn up today, and I give you my word as a Malfoy to keep this a secret, until they reveal themselves, or should you choose to tell."

Magic swirled through Astoria, sealing her vow, and Iris smiled back at her Aunt. It was good to have an understanding family. But, curiosity won over her, and she asked hesitantly,

"Aunt Tori, if you don't mind me asking, why didn't you support Scorpius and Lily all those years ago?"

Astoria gave a pained smile, and she spoke softly, as if whispering, "I was not there on the day, sweetheart. I was on a trip with your mother in Milan, since I was sick and Draco offered to have me come to the Manor in Milan for a rest. I came back as fast as I could, but I was too late. They were already gone…" she closed her baby blue eyes, a lone tear rolled down her cheek.

"Aunt Tori… I…" Iris stammered. She realized that she had hit the sorest spot in her aunt's heart, and she was feeling incredibly guilty. She swallowed hard, and said quietly, "I'm sorry for blaming you all these years."

"It's okay, I understand. And thank you, Iris, for telling me this." Astoria smiled, then she asked, "Iris, I was thinking, if all it took for me is a look to know that Aries is Scorpius's son, do you think you should keep him in the Potter household? After all, mother instinct is hard to explain. Aren't you afraid that Ginny is going to find out, what's with what happened all those years ago here? Not that I am judging her," she quickly explained, seeing Iris' pensive look, "but I think it would be better if you and Aries spend a night at Malfoy Manor instead of Potter Manor, since you all want to keep this under wrap at the moment right?"

"You are right, as always, Aunt Tori," Iris thought carefully, then smiled at her aunt, "Then I hope you and Uncle Draco will not mind me and James staying over with Aries, since we promise Lily and Scorpius we would take care of him."

"Sure, Malfoy Manor would be open to him anyway, since he is of Malfoy blood, and second in line. I just hope Draco will not check the tapestry. He had not stepped into that room ever since Scorpius left, that explained why we did not know about Aries." Astoria added thoughtfully.

"Yeah, but let's talk about that later, now let's go back, otherwise James is going to either a, freak out, or b, blurt out something stupid." Iris shook her head at the thought of her fiancé fondly, and took Astoria's hand, she walked out of the bathroom, going back to the dining room. Astoria, on the other hand, was eager to be able to hold her first grandchild, the sweetest baby boy that she had seen. Iris laughed at the eagerness in her aunt's step, and proceeded to follow her every move.

. . .

_11 July 2021_

_La Maison de Fleur, London_

Lily blinked, feeling the warmth emitted from her husband's presence next to her in bed. She sighed contentedly, and turned to face him, hugging his torso. It had been five years since they got married, but he still had a presence that calmed her, and drew her to him. She closed her eyes, inhaling the familiar smell, and smiled. It was a beautiful start for a day indeed.

"Morning to you, beautiful," Scorpius' low voice greeted her, his smile was dazzling.

"Morning to you to," she replied, kissing his bare chest lightly, "It is a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Uhmmm…" he chuckled, pulling her closer and rubbing his hand on her belly, "Well, as long as I have my two most important ladies waking up next to me, it would be a beautiful day."

She blushed, and he laughed. Sitting up, he pull a strand of hair off her face to behind her ears, and asked, "What are you going to do today?"

"I want to go to Petal Boutique Headquarters in Britain, I need to check the records, just like you with Aries Inc. Also, I might stop by to the fitting place after Iris finishes her fitting, so that I could do the fixing for the dress, as well as trying my own." Lily yawned, making her way out of the bed, pulling her nightgown slightly to fix it back to position.

"Well, it's Sunday, so it should not be populated, the Headquarters I mean," Scorpius hugged her from behind, and she laid her head on his chest. "You want me to accompany you?"

"Nah, I will be fine… But can you ask Granny to take care of Aries when Iris delivers him back? She should be dropping him back here before her fitting. I want to leave early, so that I can return early and maybe avoid the press. You know how nosy the British press is, not to mention we could not really reveal our connection to the Rosier Empire here…" she trailed off with another yawn, closing her eyes briefly.

"Sure, I will ask Granny later. You should go take a bath, I will go and collect breakfast for both of us." Scorpius kissed her cheek, and let her go. Lily smiled at him, then turned to the wardrobe, which was just filled yesterday thanks to Tozzy, and took out a formal business dress. It was one of her favourite designs from the Women Formal Business Suit of Petal Boutique, and it fit her perfectly. The top hugged her well-developed chest, covering most of it while still revealed enough for people to desire. Her skirt was a few inches above the knees, and it had a slight cut behind to allow ease when walking and sitting. The outer suit was black while the inner shirt was turquoise blue, since they were Scorpius' and her favourite color. Lily walked towards the bathroom, humming one of her favourite songs in her throat. It was one of the fine mornings that she did not experience any sickness, hence her good mood.

Scorpius looked at the back of his wife, his eyes tendered with love. How he loved waking up with her every day, hugging her close, knowing that this wonderful lady was carrying his child, his blood. The thought made him almost giddy with happiness. Yes, Scorpius Malfoy loved his family, and his beautiful wife allowed him to remember that every day. Shaking his head, he walked out of the room in search for the kitchen. He needed some French toasts for him and Lily, milk for Lily and coffee for him. It was indeed Sunday, but they both had work. That was the cost of making fortunes.

. . .

Lily happily finished her breakfast on the bed, munching her toast and reading the papers online while Scorpius changed his clothes. He put on a white shirt made from Acromantula silk, black tailored pants made specifically by his wife, and then his outer suit. Scrambling through the wardrobe to find his favourite cufflinks, he frowned when recognized the empty velvet box, and turned to Lily:

"Hey, did you see the pair of cufflinks that you gave me for our wedding anniversary last year anywhere? I couldn't find it." He growled out, annoyed with the fact that he lost her present for him.

"Didn't you give it to Tozzy a few days ago to polish?" Lily quipped back innocently, "Aww, my dear Scorpie-pie is olddddddd…" She drawled amusingly, eyes sparkled with laughter.

He growled playfully at her, and sat on the bed, grabbing her waist away from her breakfast table. She squealed when he began to tickle her mercilessly. Lily giggled breathlessly, and put her hands on Scorpius' chest, trying to push him out. Not giving up, Scorpius put his hands on Lily's waist, caressing the smooth material of her dress, and grinned at the shiver passed through Lily's body.

"I can't wait until our princess is out, and I can have you once more," He breathed into her ear, causing her to blush sweetly. He put his face at the back of her neck, kissing the soft skin there, and enjoying an intimate moment with his wife.

"… I love you Scorp." Lily said, leaning into him.

"I know, my fair lady." He spoke as quietly, "And I love you too, Lily-bean."

They sat there, silently but together, in the quietness of their bed chamber. Scorpius knew that Lily was nervous, since it took a lot out of her just to come back to Britain. What her family said and did to her still hurt his wife, and his heart tore each time Lily woke up with a nightmare in the middle of the night, sobbing uncontrollably. He could not understand why the Potters had reacted in such a way. Lily was always Harry's princess, and she had the Potter men, and by extension the Weasleys, wrapped around her little fingers the moment she was born. She was the youngest, the baby of the family, the last one to enter Hogwarts, hence they were all very protective of her. It had taken considerable effort from Scorpius and herself, as well as immeasurable help from her brothers and best friends for them to keep their relationship under wrap, otherwise it would had been the largest gist of the Prophet at the time. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, tall, handsome, rich, Scion of the Malfoy family, Head Boy, Valedictorian – which left Rose very bitter, talented Chaser and Captain of the Slytherin team – with tons of invitations from professional Quidditch team by the time he graduated, and Hogwarts' second ranking heartthrob – just after James Potter – since he always rejected the confessions and chocolate of the girls in school; and Lily Luna Potter, princess of the Potter family – which was in its own right very VERY famous, slender, beautiful – with an allure that put her part-Veela cousins in shame, a social butterfly, Head Girl, Valedictorian of her Batch, and famous model for Starry Night Designs – one of the most famous fashion chains in Britain – since her third year. Of course, it would only be a little less shocking than the news of Harry Potter defeating Voldemort when people found out that they were together, not taking into account the standing feud between his grandfather and her mother's family. And yet, the impossible happened.

Till this day, Scorpius still could not believe that she accepted his confession with a smile, just like that. He had had a crush on her ever since he caught sight of her, standing next to her brothers, on Platform 9¾ all those years ago. When he became Albus Potter's best friend, he had tried to bury his feelings for her, since he knew Albus was very protective of his little sister, hell, the whole family was protective of her. He still remembered what Albus told him and Iris the first day Lily came to Hogwarts, "You know, the whole gang of adults threatened us that we needed to keep an eye on Lily at all time, since she is the family's princess. My dad said she was born with innate magical allure and some other gift, hence there would be people throwing themselves at her, or even force themselves on her. You guys are going to help me, right, if she gets into Slytherin?" Albus had nearly begged them, and Scorpius had found it hilarious. However, when Lily Potter stepped out of the first year crowd to the stool, he suddenly understood why the Weasley-Potter brood was so protective of her. Lily's magic sang to him, calling him to her from that very moment, amplified by the ambient magic lingering in Hogwarts. And he felt the very urge to protect her, to shield her away from all those leery eyes from the males in the Hall, to keep and cherish her till the end of his life. He and Albus had been her silent protector in Slytherin, where the princess was immediately welcomed by Iris – the Ice Queen, and no one dared to disobey the Ice Queen, when she had the support of the Potter son and the Malfoy Heir. He had watched her making friends with Melanie Zabini, had stopped all the attempts of the guys hitting on her when Albus wasn't around, all to be graced by that gentle smile and softened green eyes.

**_* Flashback *_**

_Scorpius stepped out of the dungeon after his detention. Honestly, Albus and he probably had one of the highest detention records in the history of Hogwarts, just a bit behind James and Fred – who ranked third together with the Golden Trio; then Fred and George Weasley ranked second, and then top the list, of course, was the Marauders. All thanks to the petite red head of Slytherin, and the overprotective streak that ran in the Potter blood of Albus, with him as an accomplice. He sighed. Luckily, aunt Daphne was the Potion Mistress of the school, and she had agreed to not owl his family when his detention was associated with the Potters, otherwise Lucius would sure disown him since third year. He walked calmly along the corridor, his Prefect badge gleaming in the torch light. It was a miracle how he became a prefect, he and Albus was so sure that it would be Regent Goyle, a childhood friend of his and their year mate. He walked briefly to the Great Hall, and stood waiting for his partner, Iris Nott. _

_He found his thought drifting back to the familiar auburn hair that haunted his dream every night, and sighed again. Why did he have to fall for Albus' little sister? Mentioning Albus, he wondered how his detention went. The Potter-Weasleys would be having a family party today, since it was their tradition to meet and talk every night of the last Friday of the month. But despite his closeness to Albus, and Lily, he had never been to one. None of the Slytherins, with the exception of Albus and Lily themselves, had been to one. James was friendly with them, and was completely besotted with Iris, but the rest were just being civilized with them, and it faded to barely tolerating after Slytherin crushed the Gryffindor Quidditch team the other day, even with James catching the Snitch. Of course, the Gryffindor team was made up of mainly Weasleys and James, but it did not hinder Scorpius and Albus to crush them. All for Lily's smile, Scorpius thought fondly, and got lost in the thought of Lily beaming at him after the match._

_However, within the family, there was one person that constantly belittled Lily. Rose Hermione Weasley, the eldest daughter of two War Heroes, Ron and Hermione Weasley. The girl was in their year, and was constantly battling with Scorpius for the top spot, which he often bested her easily. She was not ugly, granted, and could be called beautiful, with curly reddish brown hair and blue eyes, and the "charming Weasley freckle", as the boys used to call the Weasley ladies. But next to Lily, she was often forgotten by the males in the school, and that left the girl bitter. She was jealous of the Potter fortune, despite the fact that her family was quite well-off, with Ron Weasley being Deputy Head Auror and Hermione Weasley as the Head of Department of Magical Creature Regulation. Of course the money they made was nothing compared to the Potter fortune, which was a combine of several old families in Britain, and they were the richest family in Britain, with the Malfoy as a close second. Rose bullied Lily every chance she got, and that often left the girl ostracized by her family, scolded by her parents, and ignored by her sibling and cousins. Rose blamed Lily for every bad things happened in her life, and more that once Scorpius found himself tempted to hex the girl for speaking rudely to Lily with all the insinuations that she was implying, but he restraint himself and left the job to James and Louis, and occasionally Albus. But lately, Rose had become one of his personal problems, with the way the girl was obsessed with him and followed him around. Albus found it funny, James just smirked at him and Louis told him to quickly rejected her, and make sure it was painless if he did not want the whole Weasley family after him, despite the low level of tolerance some of them had for Rose. He ignored her, of course, since in his eyes there was only one person, Lily Luna Potter, who completely captured his heart on 1__st__ September 2018, when he saw her in Hogwarts. _

_Scorpius was shook out of his daydream about Lily suddenly, and he blinked, focusing his eyes on an annoyed Iris, a scared Melanie, and the ever elegant Lily standing in front of him. He quirked his eyebrow at Iris questioningly, indicating Lily and Melanie, "What is it? Why are they here?"_

_"Scorp, we have a problem. Mel's parents sent her a letter asking if she would like to be betrothed to you!" Iris said, annoyance laced her voice._

_Scorpius sputtered. What? Mel… him… betrothal… IMPOSSIBLE! He only considered Mel as a little sisiter, nothing more. How could he, when his heart belonged to the angel standing next to Mel, her hand on Mel's shoulder soothingly. Like magic, when Lily touched Melanie, her face immediately relaxed, and she spoke,_

_"Can we go somewhere private? I'd rather not discuss this here, in front of the Great Hall."_

_Scorpius curtly nodded, and offered his hand to Iris, like any pureblood gentleman would. Iris took it naturally, and together they chaperoned the two third years to an old classroom on third floor. Iris pulled out her wand, charming the door shut with Silencing charm, a Locking charm and set up a Detection Ward that would inform them of any person coming._

_Finishing up her job, she turned to Melanie, and spoke one word, "Explain."_

_"Mother and father owled me today," Melanie started nervously, "They were suggesting that we, as in Scorp and I, getting betrothed, to unite the family and stuff, since you know, my father and godfather Draco were best friends, and apparently Lucius also wanted to keep the family "pure"." She made air quotation with her hands, and then looked at Scorpius, "But Scorp, to be honest, I only consider you as a brother, and my Magic would not allow us to wed. No offence, of course."_

_"None taken, Mel. Don't worry about it," Scorpius all but growled out, "I know Lucius must have had a hand in this. Leave it to me Mel, I would owl my father and explain. We are pureblood, he would understand if my Magic sees you as my sister in all but blood only. Don't worry your petite little head," he pat her hair, and smiled at her._

_Melanie smiled back at him, and Iris smirked. Lily kept silent, but a small smile also graced her lips. Scorpius was enchanted at the sight of it, and he stared at her, ignoring the warning of the ward about people approaching. He was brought back to reality only when his best friend and his brother stepped into the room, and Iris growled out,_

_"How did you dispel my ward, James Sirius Potter?"_

_"Well, sweetie, I know how you do your ward inside out, of course," James smirked at Iris, while Albus looked worriedly at Melanie and Scorpius, and asked,_

_"What happened? I saw on the Marauders' map that you guys are in here for a long time, and we got worried, so we left the party early. Lily, you did not come."_

_"I didn't." Lily shook her head, "I was in my room with Mel, calming her down after her parents dropped the bomb on her earlier today."_

_"What bomb?" Albus asked, trying to ignore the flirty bantering that Iris and James were doing._

_"Well, Mel's parents want us to be betrothed." Scorpius scowled when thinking of the idea, "But it would be impossible."_

_Albus' face paled, and he turned halfway through Scorpius' words, and he bolted out of the room. Scorpius looked at the door confusedly, but Iris and Lily giggled, and Melanie paled. James quirked an eyebrow at Mel:_

_"Aren't you going to run after him? He likes you you know…" He smiled fondly at the girl who he considered a second sister, "If you like him, chase him now. And don't tell him that I told you. He should be in the abandoned Charms classroom on fourth floor as usual."_

_With that, James pulled Iris out of the room despite her protest, and called back to Scorpius, "Make sure you take Lily back to Slytherin common room. I will do the patrol with Iris for you."_

_After James and a reluctant Iris left the room, Melabie looked at Lily with a questioning eye, and Lily whispered to her, "Go, I have seen it, you must go after him now, and it would be secured." Smiling at Lily's words, Melanie ran out, shouting her thanks to Lily who smiled. _

_Scorpius looked at Lily, confused by her words. He asked, "What are you talking about?'_

_"Well, girls' stuff." Lily replied gently, "Just that Albus likes Mel, and Mel likes him too."_

_Scorpius choked on air at her. Well, he certainly did not expect this. First James and his cousin, now Albus and his godsister? He found himself silently wishing for him and Lily to have a happy ending like that, but did not allow himself to drawl on the hope, in case it was rejected, since Lily had been rejecting boys left and right ever since her first year._

_"And… and you?" he whispered to her, eyes looking at her with his longing and love._

_"Well, will you walk with me?" She smiled, "We can talk on the way, and it would be longer if we take a detour to the kitchen."_

_He silently accompanied her, and they walked comfortably next to each other. Lily's hair flew beautifully in the gentle wind of early winter, and in the moonlight that shone the corridor, she looked ethereal. He stood rooted on the spot when she turned and smiled at him, the smile lit her oval face, making her eyes brighter than normal. He reached a hand out, but hesitated, afraid that if he touched her, the beautiful image would just fade away. And Lily did not let people touch her, except her brothers, and maybe Melanie. Even her cousins knew better than touching her, it was like a taboo in the Weasley-Potter family, that you should not and would not touch Lily Potter unless absolutely necessary. More than once boys were blasted down the corridor for suddenly touching her, by Albus or James, or even Melanie. There had been speculations, of course, that Lily had some kind of special magical power, and touching her would drain her of it or some rubbish like that. But Scorpius knew better. He knew she did have some kind of gift, but he though not touching her was only a precaution of her family. Al refused to explain, and told him only family knew about it. He had let the subject dropped ever since that day._

_Lily smiled encouragingly, and he breathed in deeply, and touched the skin of her cheek with the back of his hand. Suddenly, his Magic flared, and hers sang back in response to the passion his Magic was expressing. Scorpius was shocked. His hand felt like burning at the touch on her skin, but his Magic was demanding for more contact. She was just there, smiling, and before he could recognize what he was doing, he pulled her into a free classroom at the side of the corridor, hugging her waist close to his, and kissed her roughly on her lips._

_The sensation of her lips on his drove him crazy. Her perfectly juicy lips fit his like two halves of a whole, and he nibbled on her lower lip, tasting the cherry flavor of her lip-gloss. His hand pressed against the cold fabric of her robe, pulling her closer to him, pressing entirely to the front of his body. She tangled her hand up into his soft golden hair, and her lips moved eagerly against his. She tilted her head to a side, allowing him closer contact between their lips, and he responded, licking her lips gently, asking for entrance. And she granted it._

_Her lips parted slightly. But it was more than enough for Scorpius. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth eagerly, he explored every corner of that petite mouth, tasting the sweet minty breath that was very Lily. His tongue caressed her gently, nudging her for response. And his heart soared when she tentatively imitated his earlier action, and they battled for dominance, with Scorpius coming out as an obvious winner. He sucked and licked and tasted her completely, as if trying to imprint that wondrous feeling of hers into him, forever as always. And he felt happy, he felt _complete.

_They let each other go after some time, panting for air. Lily was blushing red, while Scorpius was grinning slightly. He looked at her lovingly, and whispered, "I'm not sorry you know. I have wanted to do that since forever." He hugged her close, pressing her against him._

_Lily hid her blushing face in this chest, and she replied, "I have been waiting for you to do that since forever as well." Her words were so soft that if he hadn't been hugging her, it would be lost in the wind. Smiling brightly now, he bent down, kissing her hair, then her temple, then nibbling her earlobe, earning a shiver from Lily. He then whispered back,_

_"Lily Potter, I have loved you since the first moment we met. Would you be my girlfriend?"_

_Lily pulled away, and looked squarely in his eyes. She loved his ever emotionless eyes that only lit up around her, or Albus, or his family. She raised a hand to his cheek, cupping it, and he leaned into her touch, inhaling the lily scent that was lingering in the moonlight. She smiled, and spoke,_

_"Yes. Yes I will."_

_He laughed joyously, and keeping his hands on her hips, he spun her around. Their laughter filled the air, breaking the silence of the castle. When he put her down, they kissed again, slowly but sweetly._

**_* End flashback *_**

Scorpius was pulled out of his musing when a faint 'POP' appeared in the room, and the squeaky voice of his house elf spoke,

"Master Scorpius, Mistress Lily, Mistress Iris had brought Master Aries back. The young Master is with Madam Rosier in the sitting room at the moment. And here are your cufflinks, Master Scorpius."

"Thank you Tozzy, and can you help me clean this breakdfast? It Is fantastic." Lily sat up, and smiled at the elf, while Scorpius stood up and reached for his work suitcase. He smirked at her the Malfoy smirk, and spoke,

"I will stop by at the siting room to ask Granny to ask her to care for Ari, then I will be off to work. Do you want me to pick you up for lunch? Say… 1pm?" He asked.

"Sure, if it is not so much trouble for you," she spoke gently, "just give me a call before you come, in case Iris and the family is still in the store downstairs, so that I know to take the backgate."

"I love you Lily. Be careful, and don't apparate okay? Use the Floo." He said, and she beamed at him. Quickly attached his cufflinks on his suits, he kissed her forehead once more, and stepped out of the room, walking towards the sitting room. Lily also stood up, fixing her dress off any creases with a wave of her wand, she took her bag on the chair, and also walked out. It's time for work, since over the next few weeks there would confirm be few works done for them both, with them being here in Britain and Iris and James' wedding.

. . .


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N:_****  
**Hello, it has been a long time since I last updated anything for this. It is a short chapter, written between the time I was revising for my exam. I just want to inform you all that new updates would have to be after November 30th, which is the last day of my school year.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter :D and tell me what you think!

**_Chapter 4_**

_11 July 2021_

_Potter Manor, Nottinghamshire_

Harry Potter threw the _Daily Prophet_ on the coffee table irritably, and let out a huff. It seemed the Prophet had caught wind of the news that today would be the fitting day for Iris and James' wedding, and the identity of the second bridesmaid was still kept secret, but all of the wizarding population of Britain knew what it meant. It was not a secret that the Ice Queen of Slytherin was best friend with the Duo Princesses, and with Melanie being maid of honor, the second place was obviously kept to honor Lily Potter. The Prophet was speculating about his daughter's disappearance again, and Harry sighed. He was not looking forward to this dressing thing.

Ginny Potter waltzed into the room in her dress robe, and looked at his annoyed face questioningly. Harry gestured towards the paper lying on the table, and started sipping his coffee, inhaling the oh-so-wonderful smell of freshly roasted coffee from the Potter farm. Ginny sat down, and picking up the paper, she read,

"**_Potter Heir to wed, will the lost return?_**

- **_By Rita Skeeter _****-**

_The Wizarding community of Britain had been rejoicing for days, when the Potters finally announced the bonding date for their first son and Heir of the Potter and Gryffindor lines, James Sirius, with the Nott Heiress, Iris Cyroselle. The wedding was set to be on the 1__st__ of August, Lammas day. Yes, congratulation to the young couple, and we wish you all the best. But, dear reader, the big questions at this moment are:_

_1. What will the wedding dress of Iris Cyroselle Nott – soon to be Potter – look like?_

_2. Who will be her bridesmaid, aside from her best friend Melanie Alisier Zabini?_

_3. Will the disappeared Lily Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, the groom's sister and the bride's cousin, appeared for their wedding?_

_All of us would like to know if Lily Potter and Scorpius Malfoy would appear on the big day. It had been five years since they last disappeared upon disapproval from both families for their union, and had not been heard since. But with the upcoming big event of the year for Britain, which centers their best friends and families, will they return, from wherever they are?_

_For more information of Lily Luna Potter, see page 2._

_For more information of Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, see page 3._

_For more information on their disappearance, see page 4._

_For more information on their family's opinion, see page 5."_

Ginny frowned, knowing what her husband was thinking. Standing up, she walked behind Harry's chair, and gently massaged his shoulders. Harry relaxed into his wife's touch, and he spoke raspingly,

"Do you… do you think they will come back?"

"I don't know, love, I really don't know…" Ginny whispered, and hugged her husband gingerly, "But I hope they will, from wherever they are…"

Harry closed his eyes, and a lone tear trailed down his aging face. Ginny hugged her husband tighter, and she also lost in thought, over the morning paper's article.

...

_11 July 2021_

_Aries Inc. Headquarters, Diagon Alley_

Scorpius Malfoy apparated to directly in front of the Headquarters of his company, and subtly casting a mild Notice-me-not Charm and a Glamour Charm on himself, he walked into the building. Glancing around, he made sure that nobody noticed him, then walked straight to the receptionist table:

"Excuse me, I would like to see Madam Zabini, please."

The receptionist looked up, and was startled by the devilishly handsome man that was standing in front of her. Tall, well-built and striking silver eyes, he captured her attention completely, leaving the receptionist gaping like a fish. Scorpius sighed. He was proud of his look, but if this was what happened everytime he went to work, he would rather not be handsome at all.

He cleared his throat, "Erm… Madam Zabini, please?"

"Yes… Yes… a moment… sir…" The receptionist stammered, not bothering to ask if he had an appointment or not. She dialed the number to Melanie's office, and spoke briefly into the receiver. Then, she looked up and asked him, "May I… may I know your name?"

"Tell her Rosier is here." Scorpius requested, his voice low and powerful.

The receptionist was left gaping again. She hurriedly spoke into the telephone, and Scorpius wandered to the sofa area just in front the water fountain and sat down. He knew he shocked the poor girl today, since the name Rosier had all but died out since Evan Rosier died in Azkabanz, and now it appeared again. _Wizarding Britain would be in for a shock_, he grinned at the thought, and proceeded to flip through his Wizpad – the latest tablet model that Aries Inc. produced – to read the morning paper. And he chuckled amusingly at the article by Skeeter. It seemed like the buggy woman refused to spare the Potter, yet again this year, especially with the grand wedding coming up.

"Hey Sco… Rosier," The shout of Melanie coming closer distracted him from the paper, and he looked up, "Why didn't you just come straight to my room?" She huffed, putting her hands on her hips, "Do you know I need to wait ten minutes for the elevator to go down here? So smart, putting the Head office on top floor."

"And how the bloody hell do I go up?" He quipped back, "I have no idea where the office is, and nobody know who I am, so how could I enter the secured area?"

She blushed, and took the front of his shirt, dragging him with her into the closest elevator under the widening eyes and deadly silent of the workers. And, just before the elevator door closed, Melanie threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. Scorpius, smirking and hugging her back, whispered into her ear, "You want to cause a scandal, do you now?".

And she smirked the trademark Slytherin smirk, right back at him.

...

_"__**Future Potter bride – Cheating?**_

- **_By Rita Skeeter _**** -**

_Early this morning, people had witness a scene that would surely cause chaos in the Potter household. Melanie Alisier Zabini, long-term girlfriend of Albus Severus Potter, the second son and Heir to the Black and Slytherin lines, was witnessed hugging and laughing with a young blond man at the lobby of Aries Inc. Headquarters, where Ms. Zabini is currently working as Head Manager of the Britain branch. Witnesses had said that she had shouted out to him, and pulled him by his shirt, a rare show of emotions for any ex-Slytherin, into the elevator, then hugged the man. Is she cheating on our very own Albus Potter? Is Potter aware of this? We will update once we have more information._

_For more information on Melanie Alisier Zabini, see page 2._

_For more information on her relationship with Albus Severus Potter, see page 3."_

_ "__**Rosier resurfaced?**_

- **_By Rita Skeeter_**** -**

_This morning, involving in the scene with Ms. Zabini was a remarkably handsome young blond man. Tall, well-built, and devilishly handsome, the young man was referred to as a Mr. "Rosier", a name that was thought to have died out ever since Evan Rosier died in prison. Is this a return of a once powerful pureblood family? We will try to keep you update._

_For more information on the Rosier family, see page 4."_

Iris folded her paper, and she doubled into James' lap, laughing loudly. James was also roaring with laughter, while Albus was blushing beet red. It was not common for The Prophet to print a midday edition, unless there is some very interesting news. And judging by the paper that was lying on the table in the fitting room of Petal Boutique, the relationship between Melanie and the "mysterious" man was an appealing topic, and hot for sale.

"Hey, could you guys be a bit more considerate? Mom would never let me live this down…" Albus groaned at the thought of his mother, "And Lily as well… Hell, I am screwed, aren't I?" He looked at James with dejected eyes.

James was panting hard, and he choked on his laughter, "Yeah… damn right you are Al. Ha ha ha, I just could not believe that Mel actually caused such a scandal. Scorp must be delighted to be part of the thing."

Iris wiped her tears from laughing with her handkerchief, and said between gasping breaths, "Well, you should call her. Maybe we could get another laugh out of if."

Albus scolded playfully, and pressed his girlfriend's number on the phone. He stepped outside to talk privately to her, leaving his brother alone with his fiancée. James put his hand on his fiancée's face, cupping her cheek, and kissed her sweetly on the lips. Iris sighed contentedly. Who would have thought she would be getting married to James Potter of all people.

"Well, this is certainly interesting, but pardon me for not wanting to see my brother making out with his fiancée." Lily said dramatically, waving her hand and stepped fully into the room from the storage room behind.

James and Iris spun apart, Iris hurriedly fixed her hair. James, on the other hand, was jumping up and hugged the living day light out of Lily, all the while whined "LILY-BEAN! How your brother missed you. I missed that you kicked me, I missed your pout, I missed…"

"Enough James," Lily winced, her hand patting her brother's back, "I missed you too. No need for the dramatic speech."

James chuckled slightly. Putting a hand on his sister's shoulder, he expertly guided her to the sofa, and seated her next to Iris. He said, "Well, baby Lils, you need to sit down. Scorp will kill me if I, pray tell, let your feet hurt for standing. All for the little princess, heh?" He quirked his eyebrow playfully, and Iris smacked the back of his head. She reached out, and took Lily's hand into hers,

"So, did you try on your dress? I saw the designs. Merlin, they are breathtaking Lils. Thank you so much!" She breathed excitedly, and beamed at Lily, who gave her a small smile back.

"I did. I might need to charm the dress to be a bit more elastic on the wedding day, but overall I fit it perfectly. That reminds me, I need to go soon, before mother or Lady Nott gets here." Lily regretfully spoke, and James nodded softly at her.

"Yeah, take your time Lils. Whenever you are ready. Just… take care of yourself okay. For yourself and for the baby princess you are carrying." James hugged his sister once more, and Lily smiled. Giving him a small wave of her hand, she walked back to the storage room, so that she could collect her stuff inside.

Lily Malfoy was exhausted. Her whole morning was spent looking through accounting details on the computer, but there was just so much numbers that it made her head hurt. Then she spent an hour inspecting Iris' dresses, with the help of her most trusted assistant, Belle Reve, a US citizen. People had asked why she had situated an American in a British store, but she knew better than to trust a British with this, with her identity. Belle knew who she was, how famous she was, but Belle valued her friendship better than some random fame. And, in turns, she and Scorpius also trusted Belle with the secrets.

"You should rest, Lily. You are five month pregnant, Merlin. Don't go rampaging around like a bloody hippogriff." Belle had ranted at her all morning when she looked through the wedding dresses. Like all first product of a line, Lily would look through, and added her personal touch on the clothes. Clothes from Petal Boutique would always carry an embroidery with the lily petal on it, but a first piece would carry a small initial of her name, Lily Potter-Malfoy – _LPM_, in gold threats on the white petal itself. And it was these three simple letters that made the first piece much more expensive than other pieces of the same design, since there were people who wished to collect them. Overall, it was a good business deal for Lily, and she was happy.

"I know Belle, but I need to finish this. Merlin knows how long Scorp would let me out of the house for these things," Lily grumbled, and focused on embroidering the initials onto the dress. Upon finishing, she let off a happy sigh, and looked up at the annoyed Belle,

"There, see, now I am finished." Lily beamed at the dress, and Belle smiled at her antics. She picked up the dresses lying on the work bench in front of Lily, and ordered her sternly, "Now, you sit here and rest. I will hang these up. I don't want the whole Potter and Malfoy families to be after my blood if something happens to you here, under my watch."

Lily pouted, and Belle laughed, walking further into the storage room. Bored, Lily took her Wizpad, and began scanning through her newest designs for The Autumn Series. Petal Boutique had several lines, but four most famous lines were named after the seasons, and Autumn was coming up, hence Lily needed to revise the sketch before sending them in to be made. She picked up her Stylus pen, and began sharpening the sketch, all the while humming her favorite song.

"Lily, you have a phone call," Belle called out from the back of the storage room, where her bag was laid against the wall.

"Sure sure, hold on, I'll be right there." Closing the case of her Wizpad, Lily walked casually to the back on her black flat shoes. It was not because she liked flats, but Scorpius had all but forbade her to where high heels until she gave birth, so flats were the next best thing. Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out the sleek smartphone with the engrave _LPM_ on the back that Scorpius had gifted her a few months ago, and without a glance at the screen, she answered,

"Hello, Lily Malfoy speaking. How may I help you?"

"Well, you could certainly tell me where you want to go for lunch." Scorpius' voice chuckled on the phone, mixed with the irritated sound of Melanie screaming at her subordinates in the background.

"Hey," Lily smiled at the sound of his voice. It was soothing for her, "How are you? Do I have to worry about an affair between you and Mel, Mr. "Rosier"?" Lily asked teasingly, and she heard Scorpius grumbled. Throwing her head back, she laughed heartily.

"Nah, you know her, she liked creating chaos. Didn't we have enough of that already?" Scorpius complained like a child, and Lily laughed at him.

"Well, you could come and pick me up, then we can think about lunch together. Maybe with James and Iris and Al and Mel as well." Lily said sweetly.

"Ok, let me grab my things and Mel, then we will be right there. Can you ask James and the rest? They should be around for fitting right?" Scorpius asked.

"Yeah, they are here. I did not hear anyone else coming in, so should be only them. Let me check, then I text you later?"

"Sure. Take your time baby. I love you." Scorpius said, and hung up.

Lily smiled happily. Her day always brightened with a call from Scorpius, and he did just that everyday around lunch time. She put a hand up and touched the lily pendant hanging on her necklace, and smiled at the thought of her husband. It was unbelievable how happy she was, with Scorpius by her side, and their adorable son with them. Happy ending indeed.

"Do you want me to help you check on Ms. Nott and Mr. Potter? In case anyone is in there with them." Belle asked.

"Yes, please. Thank you Belle." Lily nodded, and returned to her drawings, biting the pen and lost in thought. Belle smiled at her employer. It was always refreshing, talking to Lily, since she was not like most of the other employers. Lily was fun, charismatic, gentle, and fiercely loyal to people she loved. And Scorpius was the perfect complement of her, with his coldness, calmness, his charm and level-headedness. They made quite a couple, Belle chuckled. No wonder the Daily Prophet had a field day when the news of their relationship leaked.

Belle stepped out of the storage room, and walk briefly to the front fitting room. Petal Boutique was usually closed on Sunday, but today it was open only for Iris fitting, thanks to her special connection to Lily. People speculated that it was the Potter fame and fortune that guaranteed them a fitting on Sunday and the latest model dress, but Belle just wanted to scoff at those ridiculous rumors. Petal Boutique was famous enough without those news, and Lily could make half of the Potter gold in a year, not to mention Scorpius. Well, they did own two biggest multinational corporations of the wizarding world, not to mention Scorpius' one was a newly patented company with revolutionary ideas, and Lily was famous in both world. Yeah, needing the Potter gold indeed.

She peaked into the fitting room, and paled drastically. _Shit_, Belle thought, _I thought Lily did not hear anyone coming in? But she was deep in the storage room, of course the doorbell would not reach her._ Belle observed the packed room, filled with red heads and occasionally black and blond, practically the whole Weasley-Potter brood and the bride's family, and sighed. _I hope Scorpius would not arrive here soon._

But it seemed that today, Magic did not agree with her silent plea, since the ever familiar bell sounded from the front door, just a few steps away from the fitting area, and Scorpius' and Melanie's bantering voices appeared, making all the heads in the room turned with eyes widened, and James, Albus and Iris paled,

"Hey, don't hit me woman. Hell, your hit is much more painful than a bloody bludger."

"Language young man." Melanie's voice chided Scorpius not so gently, "And no vulgarities around my future goddaughter, you hear me?"

Belle paled, and smacked her hand on her forehead. She wanted to rush to his side and clamped that mouth shut, but it seemed like Harry Potter had seen her. He spoke menacingly to Belle,

"Ms. Reve, what… Is that who I think he is?" he turned to James and Iris, who were being held sitting on the sofa by two wands from Ron and Draco, and Albus being _petrified_ by his mother, "And you guys _knew_? And never inform us?"

James and Iris looked at each other, and Belle sighed. It was too late now, since Scorpius and Melanie had turned the corner. Melanie's eyes widened comically at the sight, and she pulled Scorpius' sleeve furiously. Scorpius, who was rubbing his head where Mel smacked him and looking around for a sign of Lily, turned, and promptly stopped on the spot. His silver eyes widened with panic, and he looked face to face at every gaping family member there was in the room, his mother, his father, his in-laws, and lastly his best friends.

"Scorpius…" Draco breathed out, eyes not leaving his son, "You… you are here…" He said disbelievingly.

Scorpius was speechless. He did not expect to run into the whole family like this. And Lily was in here somewhere. Panicking, he sharply turned to Belle, who discretely gestured towards the storage room. Breathing out in relief, he looked back to his family, and saw his mother smiling serenely at him. Smiling slightly back, he turned to his father, and was shocked to see relief and happiness appeared in the eyes so similar to his. And before he could reacted, Draco had strode to his side, and pulled Scorpius into a fierce hug.

Harry Potter could not believe in his eyes. The boy he thought was missing for five years with his daughter was standing right there, next to a nervous Melanie, in front of him. His mind was going haywire, and he stood rooted on the spot, too shocked to speak up. But thankfully, his best friend had a mind like a computer, and she asked,

"Mister Malfoy, if I may ask, where… where is Lily?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

Scorpius was just started to relax in the embrace of his father, but upon hearing the question, he froze once more, and his mind became blank with panic. Lily, they could not find Lily, otherwise they would separate them. Pushing his father away, he looked up fearfully, and proceeded to think of a plan to escape the situation. He knew Melanie, Iris, James and Albus would not speak against them, and it would be best if he left. He closed his eyes, and breathed in deeply, he prepared himself to disapparated.

Astoria Malfoy saw the hurt look in her husband's eyes the moment their son pushed him away. But upon seeing the panic in the boy's eyes, she understood. She spoke softly and quickly, knowing her son, he would plan to go get Lily and disappeared again,

"Scorpius, we promise that we would not separate you and Lily again. After all, I think you guys are already married, right?" She smiled at him.

Scorpius was frozen again by the voice of his mother, and his brain slowly registered what his mother just said. He opened his eyes, finding her eyes first, and seeing her smile, he turned and looked towards Iris and James. Iris nodded, while James shrugged. Albus, still frozen, conveyed his agreement by his eyes, and Melanie pinched him slightly on the hand for hers. Exhaling loudly, he looked at the people in the room, and said sharply, "I want your word that you do not, and will not attempt to force Lily to do whatever she does not want if I tell you her location."

"What makes you think that we would do that to Lily?" Harry asked, pain laced his voice, "I… I already hurt my baby once. I would not do this again." His sentiment was agreed by the Weasleys, who nodded furiously, and Ginny Potter, who held Harry's hand fiercely, her knuckles turning white with the force.

"It's ok, Scorp, might as well do this now." Lily's soft voice spoke, and Scorpius turned sharply to the storage room's door, where his Lily was standing, hands on the handle. He rushed to her side, and pulled her into a sweet and gentle embrace, inhaling the sweet lily scent on her hair. She smiled,

"I know. Don't be scared though, they will not force us to part. I know it. And they can't, we are married, bonded my magic, my love." She whispered into his ear.

He sighed, and took her hand, guiding her to the sofa next to Iris, getting ready for the interrogation that he was sure to come. Belle, upon seeing this, promptly went and closed the store, giving the family some deserved privacy. Merlin knew the Potters needed it.

...


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Yes, I am back from the death of exams and application... Now I am free to write as much as I want.

Just a short update this time though, this is the part I wrote during exam time. I hope you will enjoy. I am thinking of adding more, but it would have to see... :)

Cheers to all those who are still following this, and my greatest gratitude to your support.

Love,

Annie

* * *

**_Chapter 5_**

_11 July, 2021_

_Petal Boutique, London branch_

Scorpius gently settled Lily on his lap and wrapped an arm around her waist, the other one fingering his wand, ready to defend any loose spell from the red-faced Weasleys. It's not like Lily could not defend herself, but it's more about giving him a bit more peace in his mind. He looked menacingly at the family, who were fidgeting in front of them, and asked,

"So, fire away. What do you want to ask?"

"I… Lily, how have you been?" Harry Potter asked hesitantly, his eyes looking at his daughter with regret.

"We are well, thank you for your concern, Minister Potter." Scorpius answered curtly, while Lily still kept silent, her hands resting on her stomach. Scorpius hugged her closer to him, and she buried her face into his chest.

"Lily dear, are you pregnant?" Astoria spoke up, earning a gasp from everyone. She was smiling at the couple, and Lily turned, beaming back at her,

"Yes, I am. Our second child is coming soon."

"I see. Your son was really cute, Lily." Astoria commented, and Lily smiled at the lady. Of all the people here, she missed Astoria the most. She was the one who first guided Lily in the world of fashion ever since Hogwarts, and the only one approved of her relationship with Scorpius.

"You had a child? Why didn't you tell us?" Ginny Potter asked softly, her hand squeezing her husband's. There were glistening tears in her eyes, just about to fall out. Lily looked up at her mother, her face once more frozen impassively,

"Mother, and how do you suggest we do that? You told me that I was a slut for sleeping with Scorpius, you told the Daily Prophet that I was just rebelling. You did not bother to put in effort to look for me even. How do you think we should act?"

"But… Lily, I was worried about you." Ginny exclaimed, tears rolling down her cheek. "I did think that Scorpius was taking advantage of you, honey. I want you to have a good life, have a stable career, and marry a good man. Am I wrong to worry about my daughter?"

"Mother, I don't know about your idea of a good life, but I think my life is perfect. I have a good job, I marry the perfect husband, I have a fantastic son, and my daughter is about to arrive on Earth. What's more to ask about?" Lily said softly, averting her gaze from Ginny. Harry stepped up, and hugged his wife, who was now sobbing, "I think you are becoming like how Granny Weasley used to be to Uncle George. It's not fair, mother."

"Scorpius… I am sorry that I did not defend you to my father." Draco said, and Scorpius turned to his father. Giving him a slight smile, he answered,

"I don't blame you, father. My action alone would have been enough to cause Lucius a stroke already, and if you defended me I think he would have had a heart attack on the spot. You only want to protect him, I'm okay. I forgave you long ago, father. How's grandmother?" He inquired, and Draco laughed,

"I think if there is anyone that has a clue about your marriage, it would be her. She had all but forbid me to step into the heritage room, where our family tree was. She prevented Lucius from blasting you off it, so she must have seen the names connected." He joked, and Lily giggled.

The tension in the room dissolved a bit as her laughing sound. However, it was once more raised up when Ronald Weasley spoke up,

"So that's it? You are fraternizing with him again, Harry? You would allow Lily to stay married without parental agreement? By the power of the Head of House, you could revoke this marriage, you know. Lily deserves better than him, a bloody Slytherin." Ron spat, his face red. A gasp was heard from Hermione Weasley, who was standing next to a furious Audrey and Percy Weasley.

"RONALD, MY WIFE IS A SLYTHERIN, AND SHE WAS THE BEST PERSON THAT I COULD ASK FOR. AND YOU SHOULD SHUT YOUR TRAP. THE LAST TIME YOU OPENED IT, YOU CAUSED FATHER AND DAUGHTER TO BE SEPARATED FOR FIVE YEARS. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT, FOR HER TO BE BLASTED OFF THE POTTER FAMILY TREE?" Percy shouted, Scorpius gripped his wand in fury, Draco and Astoria paled, and James and Albus looked at their uncle with fury in their eyes. However, it was Lily who spoke,

"Uncle Ron… Do you… do you hate me that much for being a Slytherin, ever since I was eleven?" She asked, her voice softened at the end.

"Of course. All Slytherins are slimy gits, and you know it, Lily. You stayed with them for 7 years. I was kind of glad that you did not become an arrogant bastard like any of them, but then you have to befriend two sluts who came and seduce James and Albus, and then you married one. Now the Potter was filled with Slytherin filth. Are you happy now, Slytherin slut?" He snarled at her, his eyes glazed with hatred. Lily choked, and burst into tears. Harry Potter looked at his best friend in shock, while his whole family looked at him with disgust.

"What the hell are you talking about, Ronald? You and your prejudice. I have overlooked it when you taught Rose those ideas, but this is too much. Lily is your niece, Ronald. Be a man and say sorry. You don't talk to family like that." Hermione Weasley screeched, a sentiment agreed by majority of the Weasleys in the room, judging by their nods. The Malfoys were now standing close to their furious son, to prevent him from lashing out on the not-so-smart redhead. He was after all a war hero and it would not be good if Scorpius was arrested for killing the dumb redhead.

"Are you kidding me, Hermione? Are you seriously siding with them?" Ron spat out angrily, and Hermione glowered at him,

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, if you don't apologize to the Malfoys and Lily this very moment, I will be filing for a divorce immediately. I have been putting up with you all these years, spouting nonsense in our home, corrupting our daughter. It was only pure luck that I managed to change Hugo's mind about those prejudices. I am pretty sure Harry would grant me my divorce, right Harry?" She turned to the still furious Minister of Magic, who nodded tersely and snarled at his best friend for insulting his daughter.

"You all are brainwashed by these flimsy Slytherins already. I know from the beginning that socializing with them would only bring about division in the family, and I was right. Look at us. The Weasleys never abandon family, and what did you all do? You choose the Slytherin over me! First Percy, then Lily, then Albus and James. How many more Slytherin do you want to bring into this family, huh? Until our hair would turn as blond as Malfoy's?" Ron snarled, his face now as red as his hair. Everyone looked at him, stunned at the harsh words, when suddenly, a slap echoed in the room. Hermione had slapped her husband.

"Ronald, years after years you have groveled over your hatred to Slytherins. Why Ronald? Some of them are evil, or bastards even, but some of them, like Draco, had paid heavily during the war. You cannot judge people because of one small mistake they made in life. I thought you are better than that." Hermione said in tears, her brown eyes brimming with unsaid sadness and despair over her husband's reaction.

"Enough. Ron, I think it's best if you leave the place. We will talk about this later." Harry spoke up with authority, fixing Ron with a glare that could rival that of Voldemort all those years ago. Ron growled, but turned and walked out of the room, his heavy footsteps could be heard down the corridor to the Floo room of the store.

"Lily, I…" Hermione hesitated when she saw that Lily still had her face in Scorpius's chest, and the man was glaring at her now. Swallowing nervously, she continued, "I… I'm sorry, honey… I'm sorry for all the things your uncle Ron has caused to you… separating you from the family, causing you to run away… everything, honey. I have always considered you as a daughter, please forgive me, honey…"

"Aunt Hermione, I don't know…" Lily mumbled softly, and sighed, "You hurt me a lot by doing nothing at that time. I thought you would be the one to find me, not uncle Percy, you know, although I'm really thankful of what he did to me, to us. No regret, uncle Perce." She smiled sweetly to Percy, and turned back to Hermione, her green eyes looking at the war heroine, "I… I need time. Please, Father, Mother, everyone, I need time. More time than this… this is… I don't know what to say…" She trailed off, a tear leaked out and rolled down her cheek.

Scorpius sighed, and pulled his crying wife closer into his chest, attempting to shield her from the mass of people in the room. Honestly speaking, his protective instinct over his wife – his very_ pregnant_ wife – was driving him crazy, but he knew his wife needed these talk, so he kept his silence while the rest of the people babbled on asking for forgiveness. Knowing Lily, she would probably cool down after a few days, but he was so much harder to convince. He still did not fully trust his own parents, but for Lily's sake, he would try.

"I think we will leave." Scorpius spoke calmly and cooly. "Today is a bit much for Lily to handle, especially in her condition it is not good for her to stress over things. We could meet later, say in a few days? We will owl you, or James and Albus could contact us for you."

Scorpius stood, tugging his wife's lithe form firmly into his protective embrace, and walked towards the door, still feeling the intense gaze of the people in the room on his retreating back. In his mind, he sighed, and whispered a brief apology to Albus and James, since he knew he just left them to face an intense Weasley-styled interrogation, and he prayed they would forgive him.

Stepping into the fire, Scorpius lightly kissed Lily's head, and called out their destination in a whisper. The last thing he saw before the fire whisked them away was the door of the Floo room bursting open, and a crying Ginny Potter was looking at the fireplace where they just disappeared.


End file.
